


Chronicles of Myth Volume One: Twisted Daydreams

by Rustedpixel



Series: Chronicles of Myth [1]
Category: Chronicles of Myth
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Morality, Multi, Psychological, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 10:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 123,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4217745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rustedpixel/pseuds/Rustedpixel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Join the party, before we all die, for all our sakes. Take my hand and lets twist destiny into something beautiful, something worth saving.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Episode One: Borderlines

Once upon a time, there was a nation that rose from the ashes of old and dying world known as Earth, the world before us it did many great and noble things like our kingdom of today; the golden kingdom of Celestris, my forefathers told me this world was like our nation when it first began: a lamb meek and innocent, we lived in a time prosperity the world knew no such thing as conflict but as time went on it began to transform into a dragon whose hatred was fueled by ignorance, thus the first acts of strife started to divide us. When I was a child there were two factions that vied for control of the land. The old kingdom which was formed by humans, elves, beasts and just about anything else that walked under our life giving sun: we were protected by divine beings in return we gave them a place to call home, then there were outlanders which came from the Fissure of Existence; to be honest I found them to be the scariest things alive; legions of demons, sentient machines, golems and the undead led by other worldly and twisted forces that would drive any person insane. From the tumultuous warring other cliques composed of all races formed to keep the ever withering peace in any way they could; despite us being the first guilds, the first mercenaries, needless to say there was ambivalence between us so we kept a wary eye and stayed at a distance from each other, these cliques when first formed they vowed to themselves never to side with one faction or the other to remain independent of monarchy, but as soldiers hire that vow constantly conflicted our morality, our humanity against a paycheck, but as time passed the relations between us grew strong and we saw that we were fighting for the same thing, these cliques banded together and formed the Collective: the third kingdom; for a time we kept the people at ease and kept tensions between the races from boiling over, hell we gave the world what it wanted: a peaceful time where no more blood would be shed, where children wouldn’t die for a needless crusade. In this peace we took the time to pick up a trade or two, but we stood ready as united human and demon to defend the innocent once the time comes, the kingdoms saw this peace and were disgusted, at this point grew desperate with only the first mortals and demons having allegiance to them, so they started recruiting us, in an attempt to wipe each other out, it almost worked to… the sad truth was when a government wants something badly enough morals get tossed out the window and everything becomes a matter of relativity. At first it wasn’t as bad we thought it’d be, since our line of work didn’t put our friends and loved ones in risk, we guilds went along with it more out necessity to eke out a living; in the first years the old kingdoms tried to their best to entice us and join their side, moreover to force our hand against each other; they knew as mercenaries we’d always take the greater amount no matter the implications behind the money. Tensions flared to all time high as we contested over the contracts, when it reached a breaking point, the fire forged trust between the races snapped causing collective to be disbanded forming two powers which would ally with the respective kingdom; backing the old Celestris was the Remnant, we stood for virtue and order. Once with outlanders again were the Syndicate which stood for vice and chaos, what happened next almost destroyed us; a great and final war began. Having the full support from the guilds associated to Celestris and the Fissure, we mounted for battle; once the fighting began it continued for what seemed like an eternity; but the day came after a hundred years when the blood of all our people ran dry and a group of likeminded individuals formed the New Republic, we were sick of the corruption that led us to this nightmare and dying to rid the world of its evil. Is it wrong that we destroy the old world, to place down the foundation for a new one…I made it my life’s purpose to make sure that something like this never happens to anyone again. The war between the old kingdoms ended in deadlock with us in the middle, over the years after we gathered our numbers, one hundred representatives in total all masters of a form of elemental magic; we dedicated to training in our art of magic to bring our bodies to peak physical condition, our minds to learn from history and to brace ourselves a generation of leaders for the new world. Our day reckoning of came and we destroyed the old kingdoms in a crusade of our own, I hated the blood that I spilled; but I hated the people I killed more… when the dust settled the Republic was split into ten special operations units: Alpha, Delta, Theta, Lambda, Xi, Omicron, Sigma, Upsilon, Phi and Omega. While others cherished this time, we stood ready to protect it no matter the cost; the Republic had closed one chapter in the existence of Celestris, as for the Remnant and Syndicate they fell into obscurity, and we hoped they would die out, as the for world: one age has closed and a new age will begin, a time where no more guilds, or factions, or corrupt leaders, or kings and queens looking out only for themselves; only men and women united in the cause of survival against a harsh world, while remaining loyal to one another. Each group was assigned to a portion of the world, to safeguard it from all forces that would seek to conspire against it; it worked for a while and for a time we would be able to keep all things that go bump in the night at bay. It felt good keeping the people safe from the rogue forces of chaos and from harming one another, but the more we tried, the more the people hated us for it. We knew that humanity was capable of many great things, but it was the evil that lurked in the darkest corners that scared me the most; the Republic saw the world as a child unable to defend itself, it was our duty to guide and prepare the world for a time when we are not able to come to their rescue. One night the Remnant and Syndicate took the world by the surprise, a mass terror attack that crippled the great nations of its day, the people needed us more than ever; called to arms once again we took action and quelled the threat, finally people accepted us as we proved ourselves to them time and time again, calamity after calamity, in time we were considered heroes and leaders; we succeeded in preparing the worlds next generation of protectors by training new blood under guidance of the units. In my time living with the Mortals I found they are a dense bunch, doomed to repeat history and fall victim to injustice; but if there is anyone among them with shred of morality and common sense they’ll make it out of any scrape just fine, experience has taught me to trust and love these capable idiots because they have stepped up to the occasion and overcome again and again; I no longer see the world and its people as children too callow and foolish to commandeer their destiny, they have become a worthy and mighty force, they’re truly a magnificent bunch and as long the Republic is around we’ll keep them safe and help them back on their feet and help them through the path. More times than not I’ve been impressed by the determination, and spirit; fueled by piss and vinegar these people certainly worth saving, human spirit truly is a wonderful thing.   
I’m proud of my comrades in arms, it has been an honor serving with you all these long and hard years; this day marks the first year of our new era, may we guide the people with wisdom and virtue down the line… we are the Republic, and may we never forget our oath. “Though Despair encroaches upon us, we are the beacons of hope that shine through the dark. We are the light that never fades, to be ever vigilant and conscience of our mission; this day we are no longer defined by who we were, we are the ones who stand ready against the forces of evil; we vow never to fault, never to bend or bow. We will guide and protect all life for it is sacred, to never spill the blood of the innocent… to maintain the highest code of honor and morality, to show compassion and mercy; we are the small army with greatest strength of all: freedom. We are the Republic, we are the ones who give fate and destiny into the hands of the people, as long we exist we dedicate ourselves to preserving freedom and peace of all sentient life”. Now in this modern age we must do the same as we always have.   
Saint Nicholas Claus   
August 23, 2014  
“That was a beautiful obituary, Nicholas”. Christmas has come early for this devil, I faced my mortal enemy… the remnant of the old world, Saint Nicholas. I am Ragnarok, think of a prosecuting attorney who casts judgment with black magic and a sword instead of the run of the mill evidence, it’s much more fun this way. “Nicholas Clause, prepare to die and meet Oblivion”. “You wouldn’t kill a defenseless old man would you”? I saw a frail old man, dressed in his plush red coat and pants lined with white scales from a dragon; “No, you’re far from it; dispel”. I traced a triangle under his feet with a gesture of my hand, lifting my index and middle finger his illusion shattered transforming his clothing into a set of cherry red and snow white knight armor. “I’m sorry old friend, but your time has come; the world needs new guardians, and I’m afraid you’re only going to get in their way”. “Have I not fulfilled my duty to mankind”? I saw the doubt manifest in his eyes, I could sense inside he was afraid and lost; “I’m here to put you to rest, you have evaded death for over a millennia; I believe it is time for you come to face to face with your demons”. “What authority do you have on my life, I am immortal just like you; I spent my time after the war atoning for my sins”, I shut out his pleas and walked forward… weather it was coincidence that the sky darkened and the snow bled heavily from the thunderclouds, I will never know; but I learned that day a god existed and he had lost an angel. My footsteps crunched in the heavy snow, as the thunder echoed behind me and lightning flashed around us I walked forward with my heart sinking deeper and my soul growing weaker with each step, the memories between flashed before my eyes; he was my rival, my friend, and above all my brother both in blood and in arms… we were inseparable ever since we met that day on the battlefield… I stared at him with tears flowing from my eyes as my mind flashed back to that fateful day, as fate would have it I am the devil and he is the saint… locked in an internal struggle against good and evil.   
We stood face to face in the middle of a field covered in fire and ice, stained by blood and scared with the broken bits of steel and vestiges of magic used by our armies; it was a beautiful day in hell. I led the old kingdom, and he the new republic; to our peoples we were both revered as gods and they swore an unquestionable loyalty to us having no regard for their own preservation they followed us into battle making us responsible for their genocide. I felt horrible, never had either of us seen so much death in our lives; this day I learned the meaning of life and the thought behind the ideals that great men before us fought for. We were at our limit, as we clashed our blades against each other; our hopes of victory and glory slowly slipped through our fingers and turned to dust along with our swords, our battle was one of will and it was apparent that the both of us were running on empty. We collapsed on our knees knowing that we had brought the world its destruction, I wanted to die that day and so did he; but instead taking the coward’s way out he brought me to my feet and snapped me to senses, I still remember the words he told me: in a shaky and grief stricken voice he told me: “Ragnarok, we have a lot of work ahead of us; the world as we know it has ended, but we can build a new one from the ashes of the first. Will you help me bring the change needed to give mankind a second chance”? Weather it was despair or insanity that got to me, I agreed to help him rebuild civilization, my mortal enemy had become my closest friend that day; I loathed him and everything he stood for; he did the same for me, but the hate between us had slowly faded being replaced by trust and love; over the next thousand years we slowly rebuilt the world and turned it what it is today, it was remarkable seeing humanity and all other life progress once again from the ashes of our mistakes… it gave me hope but that hope comes at a cost. I found that evil exists in many forms, and it’s the blows closest to home that hits the hardest; the order of saints was formed and led by me to eradicate any force that would jeopardize the peace, we would hunt down and eliminate the monsters we were so afraid of; but Nicholas and I saw it the saints became corrupt, filled with avarice and fueled by the need to sustain bloodlust; this gave rise to the Oni or Purgatory… ten members once dedicated to protecting humanity has become their worst enemy, but something worse than them came from the woodwork the syndicate; we had killed so many in the pursuit of peace, I strayed from the path of good… I couldn’t handle being the one who has save the sheep when the wolves come knocking on their doors; but him… he never faltered, never caving into his carnal desires; never falling prey to the vices that plague us… when our paths separated he gave himself to his faith and became a paladin, a one man crusade to wipe out evil and I become lost to my sins, transforming into a monstrous demon. We played our parts the best we could, sometimes we help each other like in the old days… but we always stayed at arm’s length from each other never getting to close for we feared that we would set the world further into unbalance that it already is, we were fools just as the kingdoms that came before us we were focused on keeping the status quo regardless of the price behind it. We reached end our paths, we realized that we were problem; both agents of good and evil lay under our feet as mounds of decaying bodies, ruined dreams, and crushed hopes. Now we were the only two left, the cycle could end here but it didn’t. The god we both knew and saw, had a different plan for us. As we were about end each other’s lives, something interceded between us: a messiah. He came from heaven as a bolt of lightning sending us to our knees, the supreme good and the supreme evil met our match against the supreme neutrality. He gave rise to the world we have to know today, a world that brimming with limitless magical potential, before that day: magic was just that, the base ability to control the forces of nature: now it has become more focused to harness once thought to be fantasies that would never become reality, if I learned anything that day our horizons have been expanded to a universe beyond what we thought was possible. I don’t know how many individuals there are, but it’s up to us to guide them into the future and give them a fighting chance at figuring out what they’re supposed to do with their gifts and find their destines. That messiah showed me what I was missing, I learned the world needs balance… a good for evil, chaos for order, light for darkness; the people we were died that day, now we have a reason to live again. Hopefully we’ll do better this time, for people like me and your grandfather death is our escape from our burdens, and until we fulfill our duties to mankind we won’t rest.   
We escaped with our lives that fateful day, for all it’s worth we intend to pay that debt.  
Outside it rained and thundered, I sat back in the chair and took a deep sigh. “End of Audio Recordings: 001 and 002”. The laptop home screen appeared as I closed out of the media player, I reached for my smartphone and hooked into the port. An error prompt showed up on the screen requesting for a password, “Guess were doing this the hard way”; I unlocked my phone and opened the utility app, scrolling down the list I found the bypass command and tapped it. The screen in front of me turned black and a feather trapped in a tornado, appeared in its place, when the emblem disappeared there was a serpentine network of data conduits. Before we proceed with the hacking procedure, I’d like to tell you: the bypass feature is a bitch to work with if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Arranging the conduits to flow into the main lock, and the second layer unlocked: a circular grid with a timer in the center, I took a quick look around the abandoned study and saw camouflaged explosives strapped to the walls blinking faster and faster as the clocked ticked to zero. I aligned the conduits and directed the flow of data to the center lock, with the press of the spacebar: the timer stopped. An interactive message played, as I opened the file directory. “Ashton, I knew it only be a matter of time before you found my trail: I hope you understand what you’re getting yourself into. The prompt appeared on the screen, Y/N? “Yes, I do”. I clicked yes, “Good, I’m proud to see you become a strong warrior; but tell me something what you do fight for in this life… Ashton; ask yourself why did you did you choose this life”? Secondly, how has this change affected you as a person”? “Lastly, what matters most to you”? I’ll expect your answers when we meet in the near future. I moved all the files to my smartphone and the laptop’s battery burnt out triggering the home’s security system; I grabbed my smartphone as I heard a whir behind me, I sprang out of the chair pushing it aside, I hopped over the desk and took cover behind it; above me a hail of bullets went flying over my head and turned the window into Swiss cheese, I rolled out of cover as the desk and laptop were turned to detritus, I ran toward the side door, I turned the knob; as the door creaked open I saw a shotgun barrel aimed at my chest, I slammed the door shut and put my back to the wall, with loud bang a titanium slug tore the door, I disarmed the trap with my smartphone and dismounted the shotgun, taking the six reserve slugs; I walked down the side foyer and took cover at the last doorframe on the right, I peeked out and saw the sentry turret; I took a shot and the slug ripped the turret off the tripod, I walked down the hallway and peeked out the window; I saw an armored van roll in the courtyard, “Shit… I hate Mondays”. An armored trooper got a megaphone and barked out orders from the sidelines, then he addressed the stillness in the house; “Come quietly with your hands up”! I walked down the staircase, as he repeated the command; I heard outside the sounds of automatic rifles being cocked and loaded, the rifles send out an eerie, guttural chime indicating they’re ready for action. “We will open fire, you have the count of five to surrender”. I counted ten men outside including the commanding officer looking from the window, I scanned through the front doors with my smartphone, and shorted out the rifles; I armed the electrified grate under their feet to trigger with my phone, I stepped outside with my arms up smartphone in hand; “Put your weapon down”! The armored trooper barked at me, I dropped the shotgun in my right hand, the shotgun hit the rough stone with a clang; my firing squad pulled on their triggers with no avail. I clicked the face of the screen and the floor in front of me sparked to life with five hundred thousand volts, they screamed in agony, as their brains were being fried in their own fluids; when the electricity cut out my attackers were burnt to a crisp, with armor and weapons melded into their skin as molten slag and circuits; the smell of the rain soon washed out the scent of burning flesh, I picked up the shotgun feeling danger nearby; in front of me was a towering beast of a man clad in metal armor packing serious heat, whether you could call the thing in front of me human is relative to you; he loaded in a fresh drum of bullets for its minigun, slapping the drum guard in place the barrel spun firing out stream of bullets, he squeezed the trigger and underneath his helmet I could see his determination, his hatred for my kind, as I met his eyes, I took cover behind a stone column and crouched next to the walling at its base; moving to the steps that led into the courtyard the stream of bullets stopped, I peeked out and took a shot as he reloaded another drum, the slug hit him in the chest ripping off a defensive plate, I cocked the pump and put another slug in the chamber; vaulting over the wall, I shot out his legs making him kneel; in desperation he raised his minigun and I blew off his weapon along with half his arm, I rammed the stock into his chest and took another shot puncturing through the plate, I positioned the barrel over his head and looked at the fear in his eyes; “You and your buddies fucked with the wrong people pal”, I chambered the last slug; he looked at me with pleading eyes struggling to breathe; I smiled as I pulled the trigger and watched his head explode all over the stone floor, my eye caught the glint of lens and I stared into the body camera before tearing it off, I looked straight into it and spoke; “We’re tired of you treating us like shit, fae and humans alike; you police, are an affront to everything we’ve worked to accomplish, you’ve forced my hand; this is not your city, where I’m concerned you have no right to bend your will over these people; my people, I am a fae, this is my home, we have lived with humans and we will continue to do so, you’ve outstayed your welcome and it’s time to leave, do you understand me”? I toss the camera to the ground and smashed it with the shotgun, the gun snapped from the impact and I tossed it aside; in the distance I saw a man dressed in black; he bore the symbol of the military police force on his armor, it was evident this one was special, he didn’t come off as a supercilious xenophobe like his brothers in arms; I felt his conviction from where I stood, his belief that the system had fucked up somewhere along the way was on his face, that much was clear; but something was off, in a sense he was worse than his comrades he wasn’t a purist who believed that all other races were inferior to humanity, I could see in his eyes he wanted to annihilate everything that stood contrary to his belief, this meant every iconoclast to his religion, to his faith; that determination scared me the most. The man I was about to fight had heard my message, he accepted my invitation and today he had taken it upon himself to become my executioner, he walked toward me armed with a hand cannon; from where he stood he took aim and fired a warning shot, blowing a crater in the rough dry ground he glared at me with intense hatred and grit his teeth. His eyes were a stormy grey, his gaze met mine; the crystal green in my eyes flared brightly as my blood boiled to a breaking point, I drew my Uzi’s and braced myself for the coming fight; for a moment the world around us held its breath, we felt each other’s anticipation; we thirsted for our ideals to become reality. This battle would be a catalyst for something worse to come; his aura radiated like a winter blizzard, cold; chilling; enticing; but deadly nonetheless, he would have felt me out like a tornado; chaos bundled around a thin eye of peace, our natures were the same but our beliefs were polar opposites. We walked to the center of the empty field, facing each other we felt each other’s anxiety through our breathing; “It’s clear that neither of us wants to fight each other, commander”. The man nodded at my statement, “You are indeed wise; I’d understand why the oppressed innocents look up you, I’d consider you to be the closest thing to be a human compared to the cockroaches I work with”. He said in a caviler tone, the pressure between us escalated scaring off the wildlife; “This is going to get messy, isn’t it”. I asked taking my stance, “Then let’s get down brass tacks”.  
He cracked his knuckles and smashed his fist into the ground, I backstepped to dodge the blow; the impact of his fist glassed the ground; I dashed forward and grabbed his head, smashing my knee into his face, I used him as springboard and opened fire with my Uzi’s increasing the distance between us. He dashed backward dodging the bullets with impeccable agility, he aimed upward and took a shot; the round narrowly missed my body, I threw myself into a corkscrew and rocketed toward to my opponent; I extended my arms forward and pulled the triggers, sending forward a drill of lead, he put his arms in front to form a barrier; a wall of glass formed in front of him and absorbed the bullets, once I landed he placed his arms at his sides; the bullets dropped as the wall shattered into a million pieces. I ejected the empty magazines and holstered my Uzi’s, he took another shot at my head; I dashed forward and punched him in the face, the impact of my fist shook him to the core; he glared enraged at my retaliation, he shot a jab into my stomach and knocked the wind out of me, he kicked me the stomach and sent me backward; he aimed his pistol at my prostrate body, I scrambled up and ran into him, tackling him into the ground; I knocked the magnum out his hand and punched him in the face keeping him pinned to the ground, he grabbed my second fist and twisted my arm; before punching me in the sternum with his spare arm, I got to my feet clutching my chest; he stood up holstering his revolver, punching my gut; he kneed my face before throwing me to the ground, before I could react he stomped on my leg and pinned me to the ground with his boot; I drew a kunai from a sheathe in my pants, stabbing him in the hind leg, he staggered backward and I scrambled up twisting my leg back into place. I slugged his head with a haymaker, he hit the ground face first; I kicked for his face, he twisted to his side grabbing my leg and getting to a kneeling position he slammed me into the ground back first, he pulled the kunai out of his leg and stabbed my right calf; he drove the blade into the wound and dug around ripping the muscles in my foreleg. I kicked him in the left side of his head with my free leg knocking him ten feet away to my left, I quickly took out the knife; I sheathed the kunai wiping off the blood, reaching for my combat vest, I pulled out a syringe, I stabbed the needle into the wound, injecting the medicinal gel the wound closed leaving a patch of new muscle and skin in its place, I rolled to my side and scrambled up just in time to dodge a bullet, I pulled out the kunai and dashed forward right into the barrel; I ducked under and lifting up his arm I redirected the gun skyward, I stabbed him between the ribs; pulling out the knife I stabbed him in the small of his back, I stabbed him in the stomach, before kicking him to the ground, pulling out my blade from his falling body I sheathed my kunai, and drew my swords; “Let’s quit while we’re ahead, we both neither of us will make out of this at this rate”. I saw him rise to his feet, he took off his coat and armor revealing a body covered by old scars, and fresh wounds from today; he powered his gauntlets with his aura and put up his fists. “I won’t surrender”, he coughed out blood and dashed forward in a blur, swing his fists in tight focused punches he closed the distance between putting me on the defensive; my leg locked up from the earlier wound, seizing the opportunity he hit my chest with a series of jabs and straights, he finished with a uppercut and launched me off my feet; as I fell back in range he shot forward grabbing me, throwing me to the ground he slammed his fist into my chest forming a crater around us. My body went numb from the last blow, he hammered away driving me deeper into the ground; at the fifth hit I spat out blood and something inside me snapped, stopped his fists and punched him in the face and hit him three times in the chest and threw him off me, gripping my swords I stood up and leapt out of the crater, landing on him I staked my swords into his lungs and stabbed his throat with my kunai, cutting the artery blood splattered everywhere as I pulled out the blade, I drew out my blades from his body and watched as his wounds closed leaving scars in their place. He stood up, and dusted himself; “You’ve killed me, happy”? He said with his voice full of derision, putting his armor as the punctured material regrew, he shook off his coat and it became like new; draping it over his shoulders he looked at me with a look of disgust; “It’s your lucky day, since you were the only one who killed me; I’ll let you go, when you tell me your name”. “Ashton”. “I’m Lex the district chief, I’ll see you around firebrand”. We parted ways as Lex turned his back and walked toward the city precinct, and I sheathed my swords; he stopped and spoke, his voice echoed in the emptiness between us, “Next we meet in battle, you won’t be so lucky”. I walked away from this encounter, as his statement dug into me; his words cut deeper into me than any of the wounds he inflicted on my body, I walked on home; but there was a thought that bothered me more: today I’ve started on a new path, what the future holds I won’t know; but whatever I meet down the road, will be worse than what I’ve encountered today.   
In an hour I’ve stood in front of an apartment complex; “home sweet home and it’s all mine”, I took the elevator up to my penthouse suite, and entered the glass double doors; hanging my coat on the rack, I took off my vest and placed it in the automated dumbwaiter to the armory with the rest of my mission gear; I went into my room, walked into a dresser I changed into a loose graphic t-shirt and board shorts, I walked out of my dresser and stepped into main master bedroom, I made up my bed and walked out the room to my office, I turned on the computer and went through my e-mail. In the inbox I saw a pending contract, attached to it was an application form to join my PMC. “I hope they know what they’re getting into”. I printed out the application form, and pinned it to the corkboard; I cashed in the completed contracts and filed them away in a portfolio, putting the binder with rest of the completed contracts, I changed out my shorts for a pair of jeans and I put on my brick red coat over my shirt, slipping on my sneaks; I locked my door and left for a night on the town. “First contract of the week, a blind dinner date with a succubus… this day just keeps getting better and better”.

I have a really bad habit, I’ve held more people in my arms, then I care to admit; some were loved ones, others were enemies, at the end of the day I realized they all had two things in common a contract was tied to their lives, they became threat to put down, my line of work has a sick sense of humor making me the executioner for my friends and family; personally I hate it: killing the ones you love and trust, changes you; for me, I’ve turned into a heartless bastard, this taught me never to get too attached to anyone. Don’t get me wrong it still breaks my heart, ending a life; especially the ones of the people I care about, I don’t work for an organization, I’m self-employed; it’s cruel being the one to pull the trigger, but it doesn’t bother me as much anymore; I’ve killed some real monsters, and in the process I’ve gotten rid of some my own demons, but this time was different; I felt me meeting my client this evening; I sensed she had a look of compassion in her eyes, I could tell she’s been through tough shit and won’t take crap from anyone; she didn’t give a fuck what was in front of her, she got her way regardless. I liked that, maybe she won’t end up as another body in the grave; maybe I wouldn’t have to be one to kill my friends for once. She was different, maybe this is a sign that I needed to change too.   
I entered the local sushi bar, and took a seat at the counter; I ordered a green tea and some miso soup; taking in my surroundings, I saw it was clean place; the kitchen stood as an open rectangle in the middle of the main room boxed by tables that seat up to four, connected to the main room were four dining halls closed to the rest of the restaurant by bamboo shutters; the décor was simple, the walls and furnishings were colored in shades of white, light greens, beiges; the flooring was hardwood bordered by rounded stone tile strips. The place felt calm, before the hungry people came flooding in for the dinner service; as the noise of footsteps settled down, ambient noises of a waterfall played in the background, the evening played out in peace, as people came in and out satisfied with their meals, the time ticked away as I waited for my client; soon a woman came in the doors, I almost spit out my tea at her beauty, she wasn’t like the empty minded dames of high society caught up in cultural fads, gossiping about scandals and people; she had an air of authority around her, she was young and full of life yet I saw the loving qualities of a mother within her. She was dressed in light red sweats, her hair was tied in a messy bun; she adjusted her glasses, as she saw me; a wide grin cracked open her pursed lips, I looked into her eyes and they were a bloody crimson; overall in front of me was a capable woman full of wisdom and compassion, yeah this was one different; I saw down the line we’d become good friends and she’d teach me to open up to the world, she took a seat next to me and hell it was awkward. “Hey, I’m Ashton; what’s your name”. “I’m Elaine, nice to meet you”. “Excuse me”, she motioned the chef and ordered a plate of assorted sashimi; I finished my soup and ordered a bowl of tempura udon, “Sorry if I made you wait you long”. “It’s alright”, I said cracking a smile; it was odd hearing my own voice like this, “So why did want to apply for my PMC”? I said taking a sip of my soup, “I honestly don’t know, I’m looking for a new life”. “You’re just trying to find meaning in your life am I correct”? “Yeah, I always found myself seeking the next thrill; I applied because I didn’t want to live in a rut going through the motions”. “You’re hired”, “what just like that”? “Yup”. “No more questions, no anything”? We’ve finished our meal and split the bill, leaving the restaurant we walked the city streets arm in arm before she jerked me in the opposite direction of the street leading to the hotel chain, I finally answered her, smiling like an idiot: “Nope, you look like a capable person; besides you’re the only the applicant who answered my ad”. “Seriously”? “Yup, life threatening danger happens to a turn-off to any sane person; did I mention there are great employee benefits”. “Define danger”. “That’s for you to find out, the term danger is relative; hell what we might encounter on the field may scare us shitless, or more likely we’ll kill whatever that thing is before it even gets a chance to hit back, you’ll be just fine as long as you don’t get cocky and keep your head on your shoulders”. “Keep a cool head, got it”. “Hey you brought your things with you when you moved out here”? “Yeah I did, I brought them to a nearby hotel”. “You’re moving in with me”. “Whoa, I just met you today; isn’t this a bit too soon”? I smiled, “I’ve prepped a room at my place, besides; wouldn’t like you live in a penthouse suite instead”? I saw interest flicker in her eyes, “You’re cool with a complete stranger staying with you”. “Of course, I take the best care of my employees; don’t worry there’s plenty of space”. “For the record I’ve had previous employees of both sexes live with me”. “What happened to them”? “They were killed in action, don’t take this wrong way but I’ve kept their ashes preserved in the headquarters memorial”. I saw shock manifest on her face, “You’ve got issues, dude”. She said nervously, “It’s the justice they deserve, Elaine; my family is the people who’ve gone out with to the field, and I’ll tell you right now they all died believing that were making a difference in the world, they did and don’t want to their deaths to be vain. I’ve been alone for the last few years; so forgive me, if I come off as a bit odd; I cared for these people, I’m honored you’ll be joining me in arms and sure as hell I’ll try to save you from dying. Understood”? She nodded her head, “You’re the real deal; people told me I was crazy to join you, but I know they were wrong; you’re not a bad guy are you, you and I both fucked up before, in a sense we’re seeking amends; Ashton, for the first time I’ve found a purpose, a goal; this is the path I’ve chosen and I’m sticking to it”. I nodded at her personal vow, “This is your warrior code; I expect you to stick by it”. “As for my code, I vowed to kill the monsters that will jeopardize the progress of humanity—“Ashton, be honest with me; the people who died under your charge, they didn’t all die in action did they”? I chuckled, “You’re good, I gave them an early termination; I’ll be honest I wasn’t proud of myself when I did, but I see it that the ends will justify the means”. “I suppose, what gives me the guarantee that you won’t kill me”. “I give you my word, I won’t harm a hair on your head, this will apply to all future employees, I promise”. “I can trust you”. “You’re different, the demons in you has been tamed by your will; I see no evil intent, so yeah you’re safe”. “Good, likewise goes for you; I’ve had running streak of friendly fire, I’ve seen my share of combat and all the horrors it brings, sometimes you just have cut losses isn’t that right”. “I’m glad we’re on the same page”. “Okay we’re here”, I faced a brick wall and turned to watch Elaine run right in to it; she fazed through the wall like a ghost leaving me staring in disbelief, I took a couple steps forward and her arm grabbed me by the collar, I was pulled into a well-lit beautiful ballroom, the music was peaceful but something was off it was empty of people; “Welcome to the asylum, Ashton”. She said, smiling; my heart started to sink to my stomach: I kept saying “no” like a broken record, right now I wanted to roll up into a ball and cry.


	2. Episode Two: First day on the job

“Hey, Harvey”! A voiced called from the event room, it was a familiar voice; my friend had returned, this time she brought company; but she wouldn’t stay for long, I took the suitcases and prepared myself to say goodbye, already the tears started welling up in my eyes. I walked out the receptionist office and closed the doors behind me locking up for the night; my steps echoed of the walls of clear tile and I took the elevator into the event room, it was still beautiful and pristine as it always was; this place is an asylum, a home, a place to heal and forget your wounds, to have your sins forgiven, this is my home, as I speak my family rests peacefully and I am about to say goodbye to a member of the fold; with each step I took her voice grew louder, I felt my dread increased as I knew she would die a martyr for a cause she had no intention of being a part of, that man she was with; he wasn’t evil nor good, he’s just like me; a psychopath looking for a family and trying to make a difference in life, that is what scares the most, he sensed me to, my fear and insecurity; we’re on the same page, afraid of the uncertainties of the future; he had seen his share of loss, Elaine would be happy with him; I know it, but as a father I couldn’t bare the idea of losing my family, but against all reason and conventional wisdom: I’m letting her go, this is the last stage of her healing: I’ll trust this man, he’ll do great things eventually; he’s been through much in the past years, slowly become desensitized to the bloodshed and loss of his loved ones, yet he still remains compassionate to the few friends and family he has left; your sins are already forgiven, give yourself a second chance as you have forgiven those closest to you, you’re entitled to that much; his fear, his doubt all mirror my own when I was younger, he has found faith and belief in his life today; he sees Elaine as his last hope, he very well might be right; I saw my friend dressed in light red sweats and next to her I saw him, he was angel in his own right; he displayed himself as an impetuous mercenary full of bravado and charm; but inside he was still weak and fragile, his soul was knotted into a ball of pent up frustration and rage. I placed the bags on the ground and embraced Elaine after she slapped him in the face to make get a grip on things, “You sure know how to pick them”. “Shut up, Harvey; he’s cool, when he’s not being a spaz”. She said smiling coyly at him, “Tell me what’s your name, son”? He was dressed in a t-shirt and tattered jeans, “Ashton”; he replied, in his voice I sensed no paranoia, he knew what this was place and it would bring him no harm; “Tell me why we’re you so nervous a few minutes ago”. I felt the ground shake, “Nikolai, that’s why”: Ashton said grimly, “Harvey, Ashton who’s Nikolai”? A raging beast of a man stormed into the ball room, all I saw were the whites of his eyes; he cried out in guttural screams of rage mixed with agony; “I swear he’s such cry baby”, I walked forward and punched his abdomen and heard a snap, “Good at least I know you’re not off your rocker anymore”. He slammed his fist, I stepped aside and twisted his hand before throwing him aside like a ragdoll; he scrambled up and rushed me with his arms extended, he slammed his hands into the floor; I grabbed his head and smashed my knee into his face; rolling on his back like a demented turtle, I took out the cleaver stuck in his foot; his rocky hide tore apart at the wound as I removed the somewhat corroded blade, his granite skin covered the wound instantly as Nikolai settled down and stopped crying pain; “What the fuck just happened”. Ashton said with his mouth hanging in disbelief; “A fly will go down your throat if you keep your mouth open, as for what happened; this is just another Monday for me”. “Nikolai, are you alright”; Elaine asked, he stared at her dumbfounded, Ashton as looked at the expression on his face he simply nodded his in agreement, “Ouch; yeah I’ll be fine, I just stepped on a cleaver that’s all”. Elaine looked at the wound and repositioned the bones in his feet, “Well he’s your problem now”. Harvey said  
“What the fuck do you mean he’s my problem”? Elaine and I said together, “Take him with you; he needs the fresh air”. He replied calmly, “He’s not a dog Harvey, he’s a person just like you and me”. I shot back at him, “Before I forget; Elaine say hi to Nikolai, and Nikolai say hi to Elaine”. They smiled awkwardly at each other, “See he likes you, toodle-oo”. Harvey said sticking his tongue out, he vanished leaving us in ballroom with a little girl in a white lace dress; “why the fuck is the little is there a… you know what I’m trying to say”. “Hey I can hear you, I’m not a little girl; I’m thirteen god dammit”, She warped forward as a stream of water and punched me in the face, covering my head in a sphere of water, she took a few steps back with her hand still on my face, her arm turned to water allowing her to move freely as I slowly suffocated; she let go of her grip, I fell on all fours and coughed out water trapped in my windpipe; I checked the luggage to bring back home, “Six suitcases; interesting, alright who wants pancakes for breakfast, I’m cooking”. They raised their hands, Nikolai stared awkwardly at me: “Pancakes”? “Astoria what are pancakes”? I looked at her eyes, and couldn’t sense a thing within her, in fact I couldn’t sense anything inside Nikolai either; I saw their souls were wiped clean, all trauma gone without a trace… except their scars, old wounds that have cut deeper than any blade or bullet; they’ve forgotten their injuries, but never truly healed; I hope those wounds never open up again, for all our sakes. “Pancakes, are delicious round circles of flavored dough”; I heard their stomachs growl, from Astoria’s description I saw Nikolai salivate; maybe we can do some good after all, I smiled and opened a key port back home.  
We’ve arrived home dead tired, it was odd for me to have permanent residents at my home after living alone for all these years; I remember drinking whiskey for the first time in ten years that night, I gave the others members a shot glass; on the count of three we took a swig and went out like a light.  
My dreams come few and far between, I slept like a baby most days; but today was strange even by my standards, it was an out of body experience I stood in a room, a memorial colored stark white, with five black tombstones on either side of me; at the foot of each grave was a blank facemask, on the graves were the symbols of our elements, I saw the owners of the grave: it was members of my team, I was surprised to see Lex among the body count; people I haven’t even met yet, died under my command. “Not yet, Ashton”; said a grim voice behind, I turned around and saw Death dressed a morning suit, like an angel he was dressed in all white his purity and gentleness shined through his smile; but past that gilded shell he was nothing but decaying sepulcher, “I thought Shakespeare said not to go gentle into that good night” I said with a smirk, Death punched me in the face; “No one has beaten me, and no one will”. I wiped the blood of my face and looked him straight in eye, I stood up and punched him back in the face; he stood unaffected and glared at me with annoyance, he smashed his elbow into my neck, I immediately curled into a ball and he kicked my stomach, sending me flying across the room; I crashed into the wall, and stood up. I loosened myself from the wall and rolled out of the way to dodge an axe kick, I grabbed his foot as he tried to curb stomp my face into the ground; twisting his leg I threw him off his center of gravity, his back slammed into the ground; I wrapped my leg around his and broke his femur, the eerie crack echoed through the room and soon it was replaced by a sinister laugh; I felt my sanity slip as the room morphed into a twisted hellscape, we stood in Limbo; I summoned my ninjato’s and faced Death dressed in my pajamas, he stood up and morphed into a ten foot tall reaper, with a scythe shaped as a grey wing. He did a triple axel and swung the blade gracefully in midair, he slammed it down at my feet, I dodged the blow; between us there were no words or noise, just the sounds of wills colliding through our blades, the sounds of striking metal putting me at ease, I flowed through motions like stream of water; our weapons sang of a happier tune, this is wasn’t a battle just a friendly wager between old friends, okay fine; this is a battle, and we’re both trying to kill each other, but come on this is how guys become friends. I dodged the wild swings and stepped back readying my stance, I held my blades in front of me and sent back Death in a blast of air; before lunging forward to end this battle in one desperate act. My blades glowed bright green, the ground trembled, I exploded with magical energy and unleashed flurry of swings, placing Death in the center of my tornado; he shielded himself in a ossified cocoon of bones, I weathered away at his defenses slowly tearing them to shreds of marrow, blood and bone, tearing through I placed my swords at his neck; “Do you yield”? He hung his head in shame and nodded, I sheathed my swords and he put away his scythe; clapping his hands we appeared back at the memorial, we walked down a hallway and entered a speakeasy. “How did you beat me”? He asked, pouring himself and me a shot of bourbon, “Don’t know, don’t really care; I all know is I beat your ass in combat, so I’m happy”; I smiled like an idiot, he passed me the glass of bourbon; “You don’t know how you did it”? He asked flummoxed, “Yep, but I can make a guess”. I replied back, “I’m childish and I hate losing”. I replied, “Can you keep this between you and me”, he said pulling out a checkbook and a pen; I looked at the masks on the graves through the glass doors of the bar, “The masks I want them”. “No, anything but those; you’ll run me out of business if I hand those over to you”. “I’ll give you anything else, please have mercy”. “That’s why I want them, all ten of them; I want an immortal army, these masks are their souls made into a physical shape, their identity made manifest”. Death pulled a revolver from his blazer, and aimed at my head; “All is fair in love and war, Ashton”. He cocked the hammer and I saw him squeeze the trigger, in an instant the round pierced through lower part of my left eye and I was on the floor twitching as my motor functions ceased to work; I learned two things equally awesome yet scary things at that moment, the grim reaper is a neurosurgeon and he’s also a tattoo artist. I staggered up and placed my hands on the counter, gaining my balance I reached for the cutlery drawer, finding the butter knife I dug it into my wound and scraped out the .44 bullet; the wound on my face closed up stinging like hell, I sprayed water on my face from the kitchen tap; “Ah damn it”! I screamed, “Fucking hell that hurts; just because I’m a fae doesn’t give you the right shoot me in the face”. I said taking a seat in the library, “You mind telling what I’m going to say friends when I wake up with a hole in the back of my head”. “You’re not dead”? He said coyly, “You don’t get to joke damn it; I’ll say it ag---“. I got out a steak knife from the drawer, “Fuck it, I’m getting even”. I threw the knife into Death’s face and watched him stagger into the chair opposite of me, he pulled the knife out his right eye and threw it to the ground staining the wood with thick black blood; “You earned it, take the masks; congratulations you beat Death, as a reward I will tell you my name; I will not be responsible for what comes next”. I wiped the dried blood from my face, “Go ahead… I’m ready”. “Reico Grimm”. His voice rippled downward several octaves tearing reality apart and sending me back home, I woke up from the nightmare and in the living room; I saw ten works of art hanging from the fireplace, those masks were beautiful and exquisite… hell each one goes for about a hundred grand each; “I just got a million bucks worth of art from a mindfuck of a nightmare… sweet”. I walked into the living room after washing up and saw a sticky note on the coffee table, “Consider it as a homecoming gift, you know what I mean” XD. I saw the masks mounted above the fireplace; ten masks colored to represent the soul of the wearer. Next to the note I saw grocery list all crossed off with a long receipt stapled to it, I looked to the kitchen and saw the morning light enter the window for the first time in weeks; “Life is going to get a hell of a lot more interesting now”. I entered the kitchen and opened the first fridge I saw, “Damn it’s empty; have I seriously been surviving of whiskey for the last three months”, I looked in every corner of the fridge and I found was fresh bottles and pitchers of juice, soda, water and alcohol; I thought back three months ago, “Fuck, of all the times I decided to go on a diet”. I closed the first fridge and turned to look at the other four besides it; “Okay… never mind, I guess I didn’t go on a diet after all”. I opened the second fridge and saw it packed to the brim with fruits, veggies, and nuts; I closed the second door, “Door number three do you have what I’m looking for”? I opened the third fridge and found it was packed with eggs and dairy, I shut the third door, “Exactly when did I get all this; I didn’t at eat home since last month”. I opened the fourth fridge and saw it packed full of meat, I closed the door and gagged a little being reminded of Lexes torn apart mug; I opened the last fridge and found it full of desert, anything remotely sweet or comforting was found in here, it was glorious. I closed the last fridge door and went into the bakery to check my supply of bread, grains and root vegetables, lo and behold it was packed full just like everything else; I went back to the coffee table and checked the receipt, Ashton R. Total bill: 5,985.82$. Date: 11-8-14, 12:41 AM; “Sounds like something I do, okay so I took care of the month’s groceries while sleepwalking, yeah sounds about right”. “Eh… Forget it, this is chump change, won’t even make a dent in my bank account”. I grabbed my apron and started grabbing the ingredients by habit, albeit I’m a little rusty; I threw everything together into a bowl and mixed it with a whisk, pouring it into a blender I pulsed the batter; I turned on the grill and my brain shut off, I went on autopilot and started cooking like a madman: pour, wait, turn and wait. Twenty or so pancakes later I ran out of batter and plated them on a circular platter, I put it in the oven and started chopping fruit; “Ok breakfast is done”. I poured half and half milk into the mixer and stirred it gently, happy with the fluffy textured whipped cream I quickly set the table and poured out four cups of juice, I sat down and took a look at the wall clock; “Thirty seven minutes; that’s a new record”. Sleepy eyed my new friends washed up in the bathrooms and staggered to the table being guided by their noses, the fruit mixture had a growing cloying sweetness as it mingled with the maple syrup, the orange bourbon maple syrup snapped us to our senses and put us on edge we washed it down with vodka infused orange juice; I ran to the water dispenser and poured out four cups of purified water, running back to the table I swigged it down after putting a spoonful of whipped cream into my mouth; I noticed something different about Nikolai and Astoria, I rubbed my eyes and put the plates away in a blur; putting the morning mess into the dishwasher I set it to run and poured out black coffee for everyone, back to the world of the living we sat, woke up and got to know each other; I looked carefully at Astoria, she was still dressed the white lace dress from the night before, she looked into my eyes and looked into hers, her crystal blue eyes gleamed in the sun light, she was a princess no doubt about it, she a child pure and innocent; her heart was clean despite of everything she had seen so far, I saw a smile appear on her lips as added creamer and sugar into her coffee; I turned my head to Nikolai and saw that he transformed back into a normal man, he wore an orange t-shirt and tan board shorts, he looked at me sleepy eyed; but that was just a deception to hide a beast deep within him; he downed his coffee and looked at me with intense orange eyes,

“I’m a demon, so are you; we’ll get along just fine, hehe”. I heard his thoughts as a sinister whisper, as he read my expression I knew we’re both on the same page. “All right now what do we do”? Elaine asked us, for a moment we all stared at each other with blank expressions; “I’m game for anything”, Nikolai spoke up; “Astoria how about you”? We stared at her and she sat in her chair shaking uncontrollably, “Ashton what did you put in the coffee”. I smelled my cup and didn’t smell anything other than the brew; I looked at the sugar jar and opened it; no that’s not it, I cursed under my breath, “Astoria how many scoops of sugar did you put in your cup”. She lifted up three fingers and dropped the tablespoon clenched in her other hand, it hit the floor with a hard clang; Astoria fell over and started to suffocate, she convulsed on the ground and went into a seizure, I ran over to the medicine cabinet in my bathroom and got out a syringe of adrenaline; I ran back and kneeled next to her I shot the syringe into her heart, looking into her eyes; her pupils dilated and she no longer panicked; with her breathing starting to clear, “Where is your inhaler”; she tapped her right pocket, I reached inside and pulled it out, placing in her mouth; Astoria took a deep breath and the tension in the room sizzled out, I placed a napkin on her mouth and she coughed out some bloody mucus, with two more puffs of the inhaler she breathed normally “There crisis adverted”; I smiled at her and placed her on the couch, “You okay kiddo”? I asked, “Yeah thanks, you just saved my life”. I messed her hair, I went into the kitchen threw away the napkin and brought back cup of water, she took a sip and her facial muscles relaxed; “Ashton, how did you know”? Elaine asked staring at me in disbelief, Nikolai calmly drank his coffee examined the scene that just played out; in a blur she me pinned to the wall, my back hit the wall with a light thud, holding my neck with her left arm she pressed harder; she pressed her right fist into my chest, I exhaled and stared at Elaine’s temple, I focused my sight and knocked her to the ground with a break in her forehead. “Don’t piss me off, I just did what I had to, and tell me would you do the same if you had to”? I said coldly, “What does that have do with anything”, she said swinging her fist at my head; I stepped back and caught her left straight, bending her wrist I stabbed the seven pressure points in her arm with my free hand, dislocated her elbow and shoulder I kicked her gut and she staggered back into an easy chair; Elaine straightened out her arm and popped the bone back into place, adjusting her shoulder, I saw her crack her knuckles; she leapt out of the chair and tackled me to the ground, I was grabbed by the collar and punched in the face with the back of my head hitting the hardwood; I lost it, I knife jabbed Elaine between seven and ninth ribs, brushing aside the next punch, I thrust my palms into her chest and pushed her off me. Elaine scrambled up we faced each other poised to kill the other from opposite sides of the living room, “That’s enough”! Nikolai stepped between us and blocked our fists with his arms, he flinched and his golem armor cracked from the impact of our fists, he reverted back to being a normal human and sat us down on the tan main couch. “I’m a medical ninja okay, that’s how I knew”; I said with tears in my eyes; I looked at Elaine, her face flushed with embarrassment; “I’m sorry”, she embraced me; “I didn’t mean to” She stammered, my anger settled down and I wrapped my arms around Elaine; I wiped off the blood on her forehead and smiled, “I’m okay now, how about you”? “I’ll be fine”, she said regaining her composure; trust that’s what we’re missing. I looked at Nikolai and he smiled, there was no joy in that expression; only a warning and the intention to kill anyone who stands in his way including us. Our minds connected, “Tell me now, how much more are you willing to lose; hold on to everything you hold precious because if you don’t it’ll slip right through your fingers and hit the ground turning to dust. I’m not your enemy, but there is a threat coming and I’ll see to it that it dies no matter the cost, get in my way and you’re going to join that man in hell where he belongs”. “Ashton, I’ll follow you into battle; so will Elaine and Astoria, but if you give any us a reason to doubt your integrity, your worth as a human being, I will end you then and there without the slightest mercy”. A PSA flashed on the TV, an execution was being staged in eight hours; on the stage I saw someone very close to my heart, my brother Ragnarok beside him was Lex the leader of the military police presence in the city; Lex spewed his propaganda to a blood thirsty crowd of extremists, rousing their bloodlust they looked at Ragnarok chanting for his death, Nikolai gazed at Lex with murderous intent, we had our first mission; this day we’re to become the start of a revolution one way or another. In the middle of the night I’ve seen every foreseeable outcome of this op, it wasn’t a pretty sight to say the least. I looked at the masks on the mount above the fireplace, everyone’s gaze followed; they saw their masks and looked at me awaiting their orders, “All in”? I asked placing my hand out in front of me, Nikolai placed his hand in first; Elaine followed and Astoria put hand in last, we stared intently at the screen, all of us hated that man on the screen for a reason, today we’ll bring his crimes to the light. “For the underdogs and the people who are sick of his shit”, Elaine said raising her fist; “To stop this madness and bloodshed”. Astoria said confidently, “I can’t let that man run amok anymore; that’s my brother he’s going to kill, I lost too many loved ones already I’m not letting him take the only family I have left”. I said, sheathing my swords, “Today that man will answer to sins; I hope to turn him to our side, if not I will end him personally”. Nikolai said, “So Ashton’s what the plan”. They looked at me expectantly, but I was at a loss; there was much more at stake than saving my brother, today; was our chance to build the spirit for an army of our own, we could start a resistance. You gave me these swords as a symbol of our bond, today I can pay back that debt by saving you.

I heard heavy footsteps echo through the steel hallways, my cell door opened with a beep; “Wake up, you piece of shit”. A guard splashed water on my face, “Yes sergeant fucktard what do you want to know”? I asked sarcastically, “Why you little”; the guard swung his baton at me, I scooted the chair backward and slipped through the steel cables, I dodged the next swing and punched him in the stomach, he crumpled to the ground with his innards bleeding out; I stomped his head into a horizontal smear, wiping the brains on my boot over the stainless steel floors, I stretched out my limbs and walked out of the cell, into the hallway; the atmosphere here was chilling at best; my footsteps echoed off the metal as I walked out the isolation block. I found my weapons lying in the open on the security desk, stepping into the main cell block; was greeted by five squadrons of SWAT officers armed with Assault rifles, I pulled on the safety latch that opened the doors; the blast doors slid open and disfigured experiments walked out into the open, staring blankly at the guards they came to realization they were one responsible for making their lives a living hell. The creatures ripped through their captors and ate them alive; they looked at me as the final obstacle between them and freedom, they were right in a sense; but I wouldn’t give them the freedom of walking amongst their brethren in the city once more, rather I’ll give them the freedom and ecstasy of dying. I drew my sword and slid my thumb over its edge, “I will give you rest; tormented souls, your salvation has arrived”. My Kusanagi glowed a deep red and I took my stance; I prepared for my bloodbath, I am butcher and they are the cattle. “Rest in pieces”, I dodged a wild claw swing and slashed down cleaving the monster in two; rotten blood splashed on my face, I reveled in that sensation. I slaughtered them all and I savored every second of it, with last experiment cut in half the alarms rang breaking me out of my trance and the large blast doors open I stared into the horrified faces of stupefied men; it disgusted me to the core, I watched them eye me closely with their rifles; they fired in a useless attempt to save themselves, I sliced them apart and washed myself in their warm blood; “Thanks for the bath, I needed that”. I said splashing the blood on my sword to the floor, I spread it in the pattern of a crying skull. I sheathed my blade and walked out the cell block. In the main prison I met the hate mongering despot known as Lex, he’s a douchebag in every sense of the word. An army of his fascists stood between me and him; but that didn’t matter because at the end of the day one of us was going to die, and I’ll damn well make sure I shred him to pieces and feed his remains to the wolves. But not now, I heard the sound of rifles being cocked, a myriad of laser sights were trained on me; I didn’t flinch or breathe in that instant, I simply closed my eyes and prayed on my knees. I will steal his victory from him and when he has lost all pride, dignity, everything that defines him as a person I will kill him then. I stood up and stabbed my sword into the ground, his army was eradicated and all that was left of them was their dust being scattered to the winds. He fired his gun, I deflected the bullets and walked up to him; he faced me without any sign of fear or doubt, “Don’t you care that I slaughtered your army”. “Soldiers can always be replaced”. He replied calmly, “You’re heartless; have you no compassion for your men”? “No, compassion is for the weak and foolish”. I sheathed my sword, “Aren’t you going to kill me”. “No, you’re not worth it; you’re worse than the scum at the bottom of the ocean, my blade doesn’t deserve to taste your tainted blood”. I turned my back, “Someone else is going to have that honor, I’m guessing”. Lex said; he pressed the barrel of his gun into the back of my head, “Are you afraid of dying”? He asked, “No; I’ve served my time in hell, I have nothing to fear anymore”. I stabbed him in the stomach, after ducking to avoid having my head blown off; I disemboweled him and bringing him to his knees I stabbed through his throat; twisting the blade I broke his neck, I drove my sword through his brain and sliced of his head, tossing the head to the ground, “Ragnarok”. I heard a familiar voice, I was embraced by my brother; pulled out of my rage and brought back to my senses. Seeing my brother again, I daydreamed of our childhood; technically he wasn’t my brother but the closest thing I had to family, he is my bro that’s a fact. I envisioned our old dojo, where we practiced with wooden swords knocking the shit out of each other until becoming the masters we are today. Hell I could still feel the pain of the bruises of yesteryear, nostalgia overcame me with a side of happiness; thank you for coming back to me, my brother. I snapped out it and coming back to now, I watched as Lex patched himself together and looked at us as human beings instead of insects, it was strange for a moment he had almost regained his humanity; we trained our weapons on him and held our breath. “Please save me”, he pleaded as he attached his head back to his body. It was an earnest plea, none of us could deny that; but our suspicion and doubt kept of all us from lending a hand. “Guys… he’s possessed”. Astoria said breaking the silence between us, “Ashton we have to purify that monster controlling him”. Ragnarok said finally, “Wait what is going on”? Elaine asked us, “I thought we were here to kill that bastard for all evil he’s done”. “Plans have changed”, Nikolai said bitterly loading in a fresh magazine for his anti-tank rifle, “What’s the plan Ashton”? I approached Lex and he smiled, “You’re under arrest for crimes against humanity”. “Fair enough, all evil shall be brought to light”. He spoke to himself, Elaine approached Lex and punched him in the face, “You don’t deserve this… and Ashton I swear to God, forget it”. She said coldly, she spat on Lex’s boot and left the main courtyard to find the chopper. “Feisty, I like it”. We made ourselves to the chopper and sat down, the ride home seemed longer it should have been, I watched Elaine and Nikolai fume at the current pace of events; Astoria was happy knowing we arrested Lex, but I could tell she wanted him dead like many other people. I felt horrible going against every logical and sound move, I’m going against the grain and my teammates are going to give me hell to pay. The following evening was interesting; so bad news or good news first? Eh, I don’t think it matters… to put it shortly we’ve arrested the chief of police and he’s our guest for the evening, and my brother has agreed to join our team of merry of misfits. The bad news, Lex wasn’t always a psychopathic xenophobe, and these are his words not mine: “I am possessed by Euclid”. I’ll say it now and get it out of the way, all elemental users have a guardian creature to watch over them myself included, ideally the creatures and the bonded have mutual symbiosis; you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours, that type of thing… but it’s very rare that the contractor and contracted are on the same page so usually one will overshadows the will of the other, that is the dark truth behind the contracts. There are five symbiotic relationships you could have with your guardian: mutualistic, commensalistic, parasitic, amensalistic, and synnecrotic. Euclid is a synnecrotic creature, Lex has been killing it slowly for God knows how long and Euclid is doing the same; but he’s winning, essentially if there isn’t a middleman between them they’re both going to die tonight. As for the situation of our team… it’s already on thin ice and about to crack apart at the seams.  
“Is anyone an exorcist” Ragnarok asked jokingly, “Ragnarok this is serious we’ve got two lives on the wire right now”. To my surprise, my teammates wanted to save Lex after getting to know him; (yes this is after Astoria and I sowed him together like a run over turtle, after Elaine, her, and Nikolai finished a sparring match with him) the air in the emergency room was tense, the smell of sterile equipment and stark white environment made me sick to my stomach; “Inhale… Exhale, Ashton you can do this”. Ragnarok drew a pentagram around the operating table, “I’m going to expel the demon inside Lex; despite what the others say I am saving that creature no matter the cost”. “It is the duty of every king to keep his people safe”. I said sheathing my swords, “Thank you, Ashton; I’d knew you see reason”. We shook hands and started the ritual; “This is a bad idea, Ragnarok”. “When did that ever stop us”? He said smiling, “It’s good to have you back”. “Agreed”.  
When we opened our eyes we appeared in a dilapidated nursery, Euclid wasn’t the monster we’ve expected it was child cradled by Lex’s psyche. “Lex put the kid down”. I said, my words simply drifted out of his other ear, “Let me try”. My brother held out his hand and formed into a tiger palm gesture, from his fingers he formed a wheel of entropic energy; “Hope the kid’s hungry for a little madness”. I watched Euclid, as he was: I saw a tumor with an expressionless face raw to the flesh, dangling arms and legs; he was just a head. “Euclid your king has arrived to challenge you for this soul, shall you accept”. I watched Lex lower the baby, in that instant we caught sight of his haggard and broken face, long lines scarred his body, a body already marred by countless abuses; I vomited a little in my mouth but managed to force it back down. He spoke to the child before it crawled toward us with shriveled arms, its legs were dangling shoestrings of flesh and bone; “My precious… do not harm my precious”, he rasped; “Ashton I’ll handle this one, you hate seeing children die”. Ragnarok pulled out his shotgun revolver and put in six buckshots, he took a shot and blew Euclid clean in half; rendering him into a gory stew of flesh and bone, I stared horrified; “That was wrong”. I said kneeling, “He isn’t dead, far from it; I’ve simply accepted the invitation to die”. The remains of that child slipped through my fingers and reformed into a twisted, corrupted mass of flesh; a sphere of flesh and blood stared us down; “Euclid is a parasite, I’m going to purify him and save them both”. Ragnarok took another shot and blew off what was supposed to his head, he severed the stringy tentacle that served as his arm with the next shot; “Close your eyes, you don’t need to see this”. He said drawing his Kusanagi; he transformed into a horrific being himself and proceeded with his planned massacre. I sat down on the ground and tuned out the ongoing slaughter, elevator music played in the background matching its tempo to the level of brutality and sadism. At its climax, I heard one last gut wrenching splat and a final guttural blood curdling scream, the cries of anguish echoed in the tense silence; I knew what had happened without even looking, Ragnarok had used his guardian Anguish to purify Euclid in a bloodbath, that fact disgusted me to my core. Soon all the madness was replaced by the sounds of a newborn baby clean and healthy. “It is finished, my dear child you are now pure once again: Amen”. We arrived back at the ER with Lex sane again functioning normally, “How’s our patient”. I heard Elaine voice through the intercom, “I’m not mental anymore that’s for sure”. Lex said, his natural voice was so calming and cheerful, why would anyone change that? “Ragnarok, is it; I look forward to working with you”. Lex stuck out his hand, “I still haven’t forgiven you and Euclid for your sins against humanity... I’ve been forgiven for my sins, I have no reason to see why you shouldn’t either”. “Lex you are officially unofficially a member of this PMC, treat your co-workers with respect and kindness at all times; for now we will you keep on a probation period”. I said discharging Lex from the infirmary, we watched him enter the dojo next door. “This is going to be bad”. “Why”? Ragnarok asked me while washing his hands, “His body adapts to whatever killed him the first time… in short his opponents never beat him in a fair fight ever again”. “Then go for the testicles, and fight dirty”. Ragnarok replied. “You’re twisted you know that”. “Let me get the popcorn for the show”. I watched him through the monitor, “I hope he knows which side he’s on now”. “He wouldn’t kill them, I promise; besides they like each other now”.  
I walked up to the ring door and let the screen scan my palm into its database: “Welcome Lex, who would you like to challenge this evening”. Chimed a friendly voice “Elaine, Nikolai, and Astoria in that order”. “{Processing request}”. “Your combatants have been hailed, they await in the ring, have fun”. In the opposite end of the ring Elaine walked in and gave me a wink, “I already kicked your ass once today, you back for more”. She was dressed in a pair of white boxer shorts and a red athletic t-shirt. This is going be fun. “I want a rematch”. I gave her the middle finger, taking my stance I caught her fist; “It’s different this time”. I kicked her stomach and threw her to the ground, landing on her rib cage with a dropkick I smashed my fist into her face. “Elaine, status: KO’d”. I helped her to her feet and sat her down on the bench: “Damn dude, you need to relax… ouch, son a bitch that hurts”. She said limping into the locker room, Nikolai walked into the ring with a terrified expression on his face: “guns or melee, take your pick”. “Melee”. “Computer time this match for sixty seconds”. A timer appeared on the wall set for sixty seconds, I put on my cestuses and beefed up my strength. Nikolai drew ten swords and readied himself for battle, he approached me in a blur of swinging metal; I dodged each swing and punched him in the balls, he keeled over and I kicked through his rocky hide, breaking the bones in his legs, I ripped through the rough shield around his arms snapping the Humerus bones; I smashed my knee into his face and ended the match. “Nikolai, status: KO’d”. He was sprawled out on the ground a drunken snow angel, I put his body on a stretcher and rolled him into the infirmary. “You promise not to kill me”. Astoria asked reloading her wheellock pistols, “I wouldn’t count on it”. I reloaded my 28mm hand cannon, “Now that think about it… I won’t”. We turned our backs on each other and walked ten paces from the center of the ring, hard light cover materialized around us; I eyed the closest wall and heard Astoria’s breath, calm and collected. End the match with a single shot. The alarm went off and we took cover, I peeked out from a downed column and almost had my head blown off again today; I slid under a car narrowly missing two bullets aimed at my heart, my hand reached for a nearby stone under the car. I threw a rock at a nearby roadblock, come on take the bait. Astoria walked over to my position and looked at the car I was hiding under, she shot the fuel tank and I rolled out from under the car, I lifted the to-be fireball and put it on its side; I kicked the thing and sent it flying to Astoria, I heard the car hood ram into her; I shot the car engine block, fuel tank and the hydraulics, emptying out the cylinder I dove into cover behind a piece of fallen building. The car exploded in a great blaze, and torched Astoria in the blast; I looked at the monitor on the wall: “Astoria, status: injured”. I saw her hobble over to a nearby roadblock from the burning wreck clutching her side as bled out. She sat behind the already scorched piece of cover, the moans of pain stopped; she sealed the wound and our match became sudden death. In stepped out from cover with a shuriken in her hand, between us was fifty feet of open space, adjusting the marksmen sling I aimed through the scope my Gewehr 43 and took a warning shot; “Take another step and I’ll blow your brains out”. Astoria dropped her shuriken and forfeited the match, “Astoria, status: forfeit”. We sat down at the center of the ring with our weapons put away, “You put me in a spot where I couldn’t act; the scenario would have ended with me dying from a shot to the head”. “You knew, all along that I would beat you; why didn’t you surrender at the beginning then”. “Because I hate losing”, Astoria said punching my shoulder, “That’s for trying to blow me up with a car”. “Ouch, I’m ruthless not invincible”. She flicked my head and smiled, “I thought you were a psychopathic mass murderer of a badass; getting to know you, you’re a jackass who knows how handle himself in a fight, let’s be friends”. She gave me a fist bump, I laid on my back. “Karma’s a bitch”; Astoria laid down next to me, “Tell me about it”. “See he’s going to be just fine”, Ragnarok told me; “Let’s get some rest shall we it’s been a busy day”. “Can we trust him”, “Ashton we need all the help we can get; there are threats out there we can’t fight alone… seeing the expression on your face, only time can tell; so we wait”. “He’s a soldier, a man who looks at the world through the barrel of a gun and by swinging his fists like a bat-shit crazy ape”. “Soldiers are ones who keep us safe, you’re a mercenary we all are; the people pay us to keep them safe, so doesn’t that make us as bad as Lex”. Ragnarok said, “Forget I said anything… we’ll talk in the morning”. “Good night”. I tossed and turned that night, I felt a sickening feeling in my stomach. In my dream ended back up in the memorial face to face with Reico; this time was I was dressed in my graphic t-shirt and tattered jeans, “Up for a drink”? He asked motioning to the bar counter, “Yeah… that’d be nice”. We took our seats, Reico poured us a glass of merlot and took a swig. “It’s rough being a leader isn’t it Ashton”? I looked at my friend in despair, “I don’t know what to do Reico, when I look at it… it feels like everything is going to fall apart”. I felt a pat on my back, “You’ll be fine. After all you’ve made this far without anyone dying didn’t you”? Reico laughed like a child and slipped on a pair of white fingerless boxing gloves, taking off his suit jacket… I saw he was dressed in a white vest, a white button down shirt and white ironed pants. “I want a rematch”. He warped us to the gym and handed me a pair of green fingerless gloves; I tightened the gloves and took my stance. “Five rounds… first to three KO’s wins”. He said stepping into the ring, I ducked under the rope and stepped in. The white tarmac was hard and the ring we stood in was lit by a single light bulb hanging over us, it flickered and I saw Reico for the monster he was whenever the light flashed. “Hand me your tie… I want to make this worth remembering”. I put his white tie over my eyes as a blindfold. I heard the blub shatter and all bets were off, I ducked down dodging a right hook and I stood back up, stepping back to dodge a knee to my stomach. I blocked off his left straight and punched him in the face with all my weight, I heard him breathe and rushed forward jabbing him in the gut. I grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground with a shoulder throw; he stood back up and grabbed me by the waist, I smashed my elbows into his back and kneed his stomach, he straightened up and with a suplex smashed him neck first into the mat; crack, I turned around kicked him the face and I stomped on his back snapping his spine. I heard his bones being relocated into the right positions, then nothing; the room fell silent except the sound of my breathing, I felt a claw pierce my side, I pulled out the claw and twisted his arm before ripping it from its socket and impaling him in the chest. The next thing I knew I was on the ground with a bony large foot pressing into my torso, I smashed his femur and knee with my fists. Reico screamed in agony, I threw him off me and we breathed heavily on our backs; “scratch that, best two of three; hey Ashton you still with me” Reico asked, staggering back up. I struggled to breathe as I got myself back on my feet. “Let’s end this”. I rolled out of the way to dodge his axe kick, Reico reattached his arm and skewered me through the heart with both claws; he threw me to the mat and that was all she wrote. With the snap of his fingers the light came back on and I was lying in a pool of my blood, losing consciousness on the tarmac; “Go gentle into that good night sweet prince”. I heard Reico’s voice one last before snapping back to the world of the living; I woke up in the middle of the night with my clothes drenched in sweat and covered in scratches, I ran into the bathroom and vomited out whatever I had left in my stomach. I rinsed out my mouth with the tap water and held myself from crying at my searing throat. I looked at myself in the mirror, a haggard man looked back at me with bloodshot green eyes; I punched the reflection out of rage and left a thick blood stain of my knuckles on the mirror. I bandaged my wounds and went back to sleep, I forced myself back into the memorial; grabbing a barstool I sneaked up behind Reico and smashed his face into the granite counter top. “Fuck you”! The expression of the terror and shock on his face was priceless, I smiled as I broke off two legs and stabbed him through the back piercing his lungs, I broke off the other two legs and stabbed him in the back of the head, I grabbed him by the collar and removed the sticks in his brain, stabbing him through the eyes I grabbed the seat part of the stool and smashed it over his head; “Now we’re even”. I spat out, “Ow”. Reico said staggering to his feet, “I deserved that much”. He took out the stool legs from his body and sat down in an easy chair, “You can’t let anything go can you, Ashton”? “No, I can’t”… an epiphany came to me, I dropped to my knees; “I’m sorry I went a little overboard”. “It’s alright, you can’t kill me”. “You hold on to every grudge, to every memory when someone has wronged you. That’s the reason why you get everyone killed”. “I hate it when you’re right, damn it”. I cursed out loud, “It’s not too late it never is”; Reico stood up completely unharmed, he aimed his gun at my face… “Isn’t there a more peaceful way to send me back”? He shifted his aim to the dart board behind me, “No and you might want to get out the way… we’ve got some troublesome guests tonight”. I don’t know what broke the through wall and tackled me to the ground; it had six eyes, grey fur, and three inch claws sharp enough to me to confetti, and all I knew was it was trying to eat my face off and I was stabbing my kunai into its throat; for the sake of saving time we’ll call it a really fucking ugly dog from hell, I snapped the neck of the hellhound and kicked it off me; Reico shot the corpse with nitroglycerin round, “Kick the dog into the hole in the wall”. I scrambled up and punted corpse back into its hole; “You brought your Uzi’s”? I flipped the pool table and took cover behind it, “Yeah… what are we up against”. “Shades”. I aimed my guns at the hole, “How many are coming”. We heard a myriad deathly screams from the darkness, “A shitload… that’s how many”, Reico put away his pistol and pulled out a MP5; cocking the gun he went prone and aimed down the iron sights, black ragged shadows seeped out from the darkness, I stared down tortured faces; for a moment the shadows looked at us and cowered in fear, the lights in the bar flickered… once, twice, then the breaker in the room shorted out, the shades declared open season and we opened fire ripping the shades to pieces; “Pour it on”. Reico’s voice was drowned out by the sounds of gunfire and incessant screams, fighting in the dark the span three minutes felt like an eternity, as we barely fended off the torrent of shades; click, click. Whatever comes next I hope we could fight it without any ammo, Reico got the flashlight from behind the bar counter and turned on the light, finding the electrical box he walked over to the breaker and reset the fuse. The auxiliary safety lights came on and we breathed a sigh of relief, Reico shot the ground with more nitroglycerin rounds and torched the inky darkness under our feet, watching the rounds burn through the bodies was oddly relaxing and calming .“There we can take a breather now…” “Shit… you my friend need to go home, now”. He walked over and opened the side exit for me, “Ashton… take the alleyway down and you’ll be back home; whatever you do… don’t stop moving”. Outside I heard thunder and rain, I ran out the door and into the dark alleyway; I looked to where the door was and it vanished leaving only a graffiti marred and bloodstained worn brick wall, behind me I saw a wall of white masks; as it rushed toward me in a tidal wave the masks smiled and bared their teeth, “Fuck”. I broke into a run and knocked over everything in front of me as a feckless attempt to slow the wall of teeth, drenched by rain and my breathing overshadowed by the noise thunder; I kept pushing on until I saw the light, I sprinted through the light as the wall of teeth almost swallowed me whole, there I was back in the world of the living. More importantly: I was back home safe and sound. “You shouldn’t have done that, it’s all your fault”. That voice was sinister, monotone; complete insanity, it was my own. I felt a chill run down my spine, as felt a long fingernail trace my back… “Sweet prince, I will come for you and friends in time… for now goodnight”. I felt the nail drive through my back into my heart, I heard a faint whisper: “I am light and I am dark, I am the poison in your soul, the cure you can never imagine… I am Nolan”.


	3. Episode Three: Through the eyes of a devil

“Hey Ragnarok can you tell me a bedtime story”, Astoria asked me with puppy eyes. “You’re thirteen years… She kept up her piercing cute stare warming my black heart. “Sure, just don’t piss yourself”. I sighed and tucked Astoria into bed, I took a seat in a wooden chair next to the bed, for just a moment I saw the chair with bloodied bindings made from barbed wire; no… I’ve changed. I’m stronger than this”. “So where do we begin”? I asked Astoria, she shrugged her shoulders: “All right then the beginning it is”. 

They were right when the said it was all in my head, but I never believed them. “I am different but I was just like you, my brother: Ashton found me as the psychopath you know today. I was human, or least had my humanity up until that point”. The feeling of having your fingers and toes ripped from your hands and feet, felt natural to my body; I faced my captor; he was perfectly clean, dressed in a pure white button down shirt and being cargo pants, he was the embodiment of all my grief and suffering, my inner demon and guardian: Anguish… so in truth it was self-inflicted torture, “we cut and kill flowers because they are beautiful, we cut and kill ourselves because we are not Ragnarok”. I felt a knife stab into my stomach for… we’ll just say again: by God the pain was ecstasy… it was only thing that reminded me of who I was and why I could never go back to my old life, “They kept growing back and I kept tearing them off” Anguish whispered into my ear, “I never wanted to hurt anyone”. He said mockingly, “You’re a fool and a monster… what man eats his own”. He spat in my face, time simply stood still in that moment: I have a special brand of insanity, I’m the only person who sees Anguish. Why: because he is everything that is wrong with me, he is the keeper of my personal hell and I was the person who drove his mind to hell… but there was a side to me/ him that scared us both; whenever I was whole… we’d become something worse than when we were separate. See Anguish and I were once two separate beings; but as fate would have it fused us together into Ragnarok… I’ve forgotten my old name, but if I heard now; it be a slap to the face for everything I believed in then … I was horrible person, the needle scars on my body suggested I was a drug addict. Anguish has manifested himself as my powers, and the more I use them… the less human I feel; I had killed my latest victim. It happened a week ago, I ate the body once, no three times before… like the first time it was disgusting and ignoble in every sense: but it was… it felt so right; so tasty. I could still taste the metallic flavor of blood and raw flesh; when the thing I had done set in, it was hell and I fled into the nearby underpass… hiding in the dark where no could find me; at first I tried to starve myself, then Anguish appeared in front of me and the torture began, it went on for a week. Day in and day out of me tearing my body apart; it was a Sunday I’d woke up with shattered glass in my mouth, then five days of peace and quiet came in and after that time of reflection it all went quiet, during those days the guilt inside finally me died, all the blame and hate I had for myself died, I accepted who I was and Anguish suddenly became my best friend… that night I’d lost my humanity, my innocence, my hope. I’d permanently merged with the monster inside me. “Don’t scare the girl”, I heard his voice… the same insane voice of reason again: “You and I are the same person… the same body and soul”, he slid a black finger nail below my throat causing my inky blood to drip; “Embrace completely who you are… it’s the only way you’ll make it out alive”. “Sound advice, why don’t you follow it… you manipulative bastard”. The image of Anguish disappeared out of my sight when I swung my fist at him, next thing I knew I was in the room and there was cowering lump underneath the sheets; “I saw him”. I heard Astoria’s muffled voice through the comforter, “Then I’m not crazy after all”. I said shutting off the lights: “Oh by the way, he’s underneath your bed”. I heard a scream as I shut the door behind me, “Your friends”? Anguish appeared next to me dressed in his beige and white suit. “Don’t make me laugh… those pathetic wastes are nothing more than food to us, eh Ragnarok”. “What makes you think this is a joke”. I said pinning him to the wall. “I’ve accepted you as a part of me and you did the same for me… then why are we still at each other’s throats”! I smashed his face into the wall and expelled him out of my body, “Come on I’m only joking”. He pleadingly, I saw him revert into his true form a large black sphere with countless speared tentacles, he looked at me with all his malice from his one red eye and opened his mouth showing countless rows of bloodstained sharp fangs. I thrust my hand into his mouth: “Hey what are you doing” he said gagging on my arm, I grabbed his tongue, opening a portal to his home in his stomach, “Be gone” I pulled out his tongue and snapped it back in his mouth the impact slingshot him back . Anguish was sent back to his circle of hell and the house fell quiet and he appeared next to me again in the form of a child; “Forgive me”? “No”. “You’re no fun, you know that”. He pouted and disappeared again, “Do you forgive me now”. I pulled out my sawn off shotgun and put in his mouth, “I swear to god… fuck off, or I’ll paint the wall behind you with your brains”. “Jeez man, why so seri–… I pulled the trigger and his head burst open like a grape”. He regrew his head: “Ragnarok”? “No”. “You haven’t heard my question though”? “Okay fine”. “Knock knock”. “You’re supposed to answer who’s there”? I rolled my eyes and smashed his head into the wall, before using his back to break the coffee table in the living room. I went a little crazy for good measure, I got the meat slicer from the kitchen and started sawing him into itsy little bits of flesh, “Die… die, die, die, die”! I screamed running his torso through the table saw in the butcher’s corner of our kitchen; “Die! Again… again, and again”! I screamed at the top of my lungs, whatever was left of his body I shoveled into the incinerator garbage disposal. “Satisfied”, outraged I chucked the cleaver next to my hand at Ashton; he caught the blade and put the cleaver back in the knife block. “Ashton… Oh, god are you alright”? “You chucked a cleaver at my face… yeah I’m fine”. He said pouring me and himself a glass of milk, “You want it warm”? He asked opening the microwave door, “Its fine, I’ll take it cold”. He handed me the glass of milk and took out his cup from the microwave, taking a seat in front of me at the breakfast nook. “I’m here for you, man; for the love of Christ tell me you want get something off your chest”. “I’m slowly starting to lose it again”. I said with my anxiety growing, “No… you’ve been fine for the last three years. That can’t be, can it”? Ashton replied back, I knew better than anyone he was scared for me and for good reason. I clutched the table cloth and fell out of the chair, once on the ground I kneeled and stared at the stained glass mosaic on the ceiling. What I saw next was equally surprising and horrifying: the man was made entirely of light and darkness, his face showed me divinity and all things wicked… the last time we met he said these words to me: “What’s wrong isn’t me… it’s the world. Anyone who dares to hurt the things I love and care about shall receive no mercy or compassion from me, you take away my place, what is precious to me: I don’t care how strong you are, I will rip you apart, and slaughter your very existence”. At one point or another he was my best friend, the only person that stayed by my side before I met Ashton… he kept me sane, he was the person that kept Anguish in check and taught me to control my insanity as a weapon. I drew my Kusanagi and he drew his sword, it was beam of pure light with a black hue surrounding it. “Just like old times… let us dance once more”. My blade hissed at its opponent and glowed a fleshy pink, my sword was made from the remains of snake with a thirst for blood and flesh… this sword is all my fury made manifest. “I’m going to murderize you”! I took my stance and we circled each other like sharks; getting bored Nolan made the first move and I slashed downward, his guardian appeared out of his back and smashed large scaly fists where I was just standing. “Anguish… time to party”. I heard a devilish laugh behind me: “Let’s fucking rock”. I dove forward and thrust my blade, Anguish followed with a torrent of speared hands: I saw a demon appear in front of Nolan, he placed his hands out in front and caught Anguish by his head and deflected the slew of side attacks with his wings without giving an inch. Thrown to the other side of our arena Anguish screamed like a child: “Pazuzu… fucker! I will fucking kill you”! Anguish rage boiled over and he started attacking wildly, Nolan and I dodged the black ocean of harpoon strikes, we met in the middle of the arena and stared each other in the eyes… there was no noise between us, hell we knew how the other person felt just by our body language. “Do you remember who I am”? I asked desperately, he nodded his head and with that every semblance of humanity I had left walked out the door… for the first time in all my battles my hair turned snow white from the insanity I kept bottled in … I had snapped and I won’t be responsible for what comes next. Nolan created a separate ring of darkness for us to fight in, “No fear… nothing left but the beast inside me”. Our blades sang a chilling tune… this was a test of our wills to survive… tonight I had no intention of dying, before now I wanted to save my friend… but now it’s too late. I can’t expel his insanity or purify the monster inside him, they decided and chose the path of sin… now I am their judge and the verdict is: guilt, the best I can do for him is make this quick and painless, Anguish and I had other plans… we have no intention of mercy for our enemies; compassion is a luxury I can’t afford to share, luckily Anguish and I on agreement for this one. Our wills have become one and for once I was the one in the driver’s seat, our guardians disappeared into oblivion that was their home… leaving only us in this hell.

I will end his life to keep him from further suffering, in the pursuit of compassion we often forget to take ourselves, that will ultimately be our undoing; evening it means hurting a person, I will do everything it takes to keep everything I love save. We believe that we are doing the right thing, by constantly helping those in need we forget the important things… but that isn’t compassion it is weakness, you need to be strong to turn your back on those closest to you if you don’t is the abandonment of what it means to be human. I’ll live for myself and those that matter to me, Nolan taught me this much: I owe it to him… I’ll save you one last time, you’ve been through so much suffering… I’ll end it for you”. “Euthanize the devil, and you shall become him in return”. Nolan said to me readying his sword, my eyes turned blood red and my entropy magic flourished to into a field of sharp thistles under our feet… “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”. I said closing my eyes… I felt the tears stream out of my eyes, “No more sadness… no more grief, this is the last death you will suffer I dashed backwards and raised my blade blocking Nolan’s downward swing, Anguish’s tentacles shot out of my back and solidified into red crystal, we skewered Nolan through his torso, and stabbed him and tore him apart; his blood sprayed over us in an inky shower of gore, and it was pathetic… I expected so much more… we wanted him to suffer, not give him the graceful exit of massacre. Luckily: good news there was more Nolan’s to kill, bad news there were more Nolan’s to kill! I sat down and let a swath of crystal tentacles come out of my back, I skewered everything that moved; it was bloodbath I had waited so long for, with all the copies out of the picture the fog of darkness cleared out with the thistles under our feet stabbing through the dark cloud. I was amazed we satiated our bloodlust in such short time, I considered it a miracle… then it came to me this meal had one more delicious morsel left: the real Nolan… the superior original, his skill stood above all his light and shadow constructs; the ring of our match was a bloody mess, I intend to devour him and make a mess of him as well, this sickening vibe was from the man I had admired so much; that’s why I want to kill him, he sat in front of me in the lotus position; despite the insanity that had consumed him, his demeanor was calm and peaceful. Our guardians went away for the time being, leaving us; I noticed something different inside Nolan, or to be more accurate I found the thing I had been trying to save: “don’t get any ideas about saving this fucker, it could be a trick”. Anguish and I were thinking the same thing, knowing my friend is sociopathic homicidal maniac, so he could be faking the entire thing and try to trick us into lowering our guard, but we both knew that this time… for once, he was truly in need of our help. “Fine, but he better be house broken or I’m blowing a fuse”. “Thank you, for understanding”. “We’re the ultimate killer, not the ultimate nanny; now how are going to do this”? I stood and put away my sword, I slowly approached him; he sat completely still, “You’re fucking crazy, you know that you’ll get us killed”. “Shut up, he’ll listen to reason… I’m sure of it”. I sat down in front of him, and Nolan greeted me with a smile from his human face… there were no more signs of sickness, no heavy lines that signified aging; “This disease… everyday it kills me slowly”, it had three years since I last saw him: this coming Tuesday he would be twenty-seven years old, his face had regained some of its youth. “But it has made stronger than ever”, he coughed out… “I feel as if I am to live again”. As I stared into his old eyes, he touched my face with his hand; “Save me”. His faced flashed in an explosion of light and I woke up back home or what was left of it, even though the building was annihilated I still remained kneeling in the lobby with open night sky above me… as I got of my knees and saw the Nolan I remembered before he left me; what I saw in that vision was his psyche hoping to regain what it had lost, I saw a man made of light and dark, Nolan held Ashton by the throat and I heard his neck start to snap, at his feet I saw Lex cut down and missing one arm; around the home I saw the bloodied bodies of my friends and scattered flesh of their guardians, lying amongst the destroyed pieces of our home, all the things I’ve held precious are at risk tonight… in the broken wall in front of me I saw Astoria impaled to it by shards of light, something snapped and I had achieved complete insanity in this moment, Anguish is no more… we became Ragnarok. “No, I’ve lost everything because of you”! For a moment I’ve forgotten who I was and went berserk, I drew out six arms from my back and impaled them through his torso, I sliced off his right arm, the arm dropped to the ground as he let go of Ashton’s neck; … “Feel my Anguish, feel my hatred”! I cut him half and threw him out in the hallway of the seventh floor, my blades thrust themselves forward like a machinegun; I stabbed him through the gut over a hundred time in the blink of an eye, I kept on attacking over and over; I staked my arms into the wood floors and shot myself out the door, I dropkicked his healed body and completely demolished the hotel building as we flew out into the parking lot, until the adrenaline rush of my rage ran out; I kept stabbing his remains over and over. I knelt in the crater and in pool of blood and gore, I didn’t care if the bones stabbed into me I just starting eating the remains, with the taste of blood and raw flesh in my mouth my hair and eyes changed back to normal… I pulled my friends out the rubble and ruins of our home; realizing what I had done I wept and screamed at the top of my lungs; it swept over me for a terrifying moment I ate the flesh of patient zero and had lost my home again; I felt my blood vessels swell up, I could see my veins stressed to the point of bursting… my heart pulsed faster and faster, I became short of breath; I could still fully feel myself tearing apart… it became too much to bear, I had used all the strength I had left, I curled into a ball and felt the inky blood touch my skin as it soaked into my clothes, I was turned on my back and I saw Nolan dressed in a heavily armored black combat suit, I looked at him and thought I was facing death. He dragged me onto flat ground, I saw his diaphanous white hair hide his eyes: one black and the other white… he smiled at me, “You’ve been a naughty little shit haven’t you”? “You got a lot of things to answer for”. He said with a maniacal laugh, “Consider this tough love, a little catch up shall we”? Nolan smiled as he bashed my face with the stock of his assault rifle, when my nose broke I passed out from the pain and exhaustion.   
15 minutes earlier  
Elaine, Nikolai, Lex and Astoria ran into the dining room at the sound Ragnarok’s screaming; they stared blurry eyed at me expecting an answer, but I could give them no explanation; Astoria rubbed her eyes and sat in front of Ragnarok and put her ear to his mouth, “Okay he’s still breathing… let me check his eyes”. “He’s in a state of suspended animation right now, Ashton has anything like this happened before”? I let out a deep sigh, “It has”. “So what you going do” Elaine asked while yawning like a cat. “We’re going to watch him until wakes up, or until he snaps out of it”. We washed up and came back more or less awake. “Is he going to be okay”? Elaine asked me sitting beside me, “I could never bring him out of these visions without him going insane at what he saw”. “I’m here for you, Ashton; never forget that”. “Thanks”. Nikolai gave me a warm nod of the head, “You’re the dumbass I can’t live without now; we have our differences… but I’m lucky to be your friend”. “Hey Ashton”, I looked up and saw Lex, he smiled as he handed me a bottle of orange soda from the fridge and sat to my left. “I’ve lost many good men in the field, it me drove insane watching all of them die right in front of me knowing there was nothing I could do to save them; your brother, he was the only enemy I had besides you and your little band misfits that had the guts to stand up for the people who were constantly preyed on for being weak… I respect that, and you can be damn sure I’ll try my best to save him”. “You’ve all shown me a better way to live, I intend to pay you back”. I felt better surrounded by the comfort of my friends, but each had this nagging feeling… something wasn’t right. We felt a chill and heard the wind howl outside, the power in our home shorted out and the windows froze over, they started to crack before they each shattered into a million pieces. Fifty feet in front of us, perched on the safety rail of the patio there was a vulture made of light and dark; the bird disintegrated into particles of light and dark leaving in its wake a man he was dressed in heavily armored syndicate operative’s suit; dragon skin armor over a loose body suit all colored matte black and resistant to just about everything; he was invincible and knew it, he looked at Ragnarok with longing: “I’m taking him home and nothing will stop me”. “Hit the deck”! Lex barked at us, we dove to the ground and he sent out a shockwave from his palms; it hit the man, he braced his body and shook of the 1000g wave like a breeze. He blew down the glass doors and turned them into a pile of broken stained glass all with the power of his gaze. He was nothing like we’ve seen before; this man was complete monster the very definition of every injustice and insanity in the world… he was pure evil; “I’ve lost him once, I’m not losing him again”. He drew his sword and I slid on my knees to dodge his swing, a beefy tail of shadow crawled out his pants leg and tried to skewer me through the heart; I dashed forward in a burst of wind, and choke slammed him into the granite. I leapt off him and spun in the air before solidifying Zeus through my shoulders a wing made of storm winds. “This will only hurt a lot”. I slammed him with my wing and sent him crashing through eighteen stories of industry grade concrete and rebar, reaching the lobby I went down the hole spiraling the wind around my legs into a drill I crashed into his torso crushing his body flat, the entire building to sank down, he got into a sitting position as he skewered me through the heart with a spear of light, from his legs two spears of darkness stabbed my knees, I kneeled and looked him in the eyes, he positioned his blade in front of my eyes with an arm of light and wrapped my body in his shadow; behind the man I Astoria drip down the ceiling as a sliver of water the blade drew closer and just as it was to pierce me between the eyes two bullets severed the arm and the shadows wrapping my body were cut by a blade of fire; Elaine pushed me to the ground, she dove out the way as Nikolai and Lex shot him in the face with his anti-tank rifle and his hand cannon, they blew apart his body but it grew back. We drew our melee weapons and braced ourselves, whatever we may have faced before pales in comparison to what stood in front of us. We put on our masks, “Zeus, Tyhpon, Kraken, Cerberus and Euclid”, we called our guardians and they manifested themselves in front of us; I recognized that face, it was Nolan… a cannibalistic lunatic with an infatuation for power stronger than his, we were all the on same page: we wanted to save our home, and we were willing to give our lives to do it. Lex cracked his knuckles: “No wonder you like being a mercenary, you meet so many colorful people; too bad I’m going to have spill your guts all over the floor”. Elaine transformed into a succubus: “This the last mistake you’ll ever make, I’m not letting you harm a hair on his head”. Nikolai hardened his body with suit of granite: “Stranger… I hope you are prepared to die”. Astoria and I drew swords, we took a defensive stance: “Ashton… who is this guy”. “Guys listen to me… he is bad news and we need to take him down now”, I dashed forward first acting as bait, and slashed in a x formation; Astoria dover forward and Elaine formed one of Cerberus’s head on her arm she followed by smashing fist into the ground causing an eruption of fire, Nikolai slammed his blades downward knocking Nolan out into the parking lot with six fists of earth blasting him out the door. Lex flew past us and solidified Euclid over his cestus smashing Nolan into a crater; as the dust settled I saw Lex fly back into the lobby and get impaled on the steel elevator doors with a shard of light; “Who’s next”. Nolan drew his sword and sliced his shard in half, freeing him from the wall Nikolai chucked Lex and he tackled Nolan, he started choking him as he turned his face into hamburger meat; the heavy repeated pounding let out a sick thud with each blow breaking the bones and tearing apart the muscle in his face. We stared mortified as we saw ten white razor sharp claws puncture through Lexes chest, one of the hands pulled out his heart and scooped out some flesh in his chest, Nolan ate some of Lex and threw him to the side like a ragdoll; he put his heart in his mouth and swallowed it whole with a sickening gulp. I heard Lexes struggling breathing, Nolan squatted down next to him. “You’re delicious, you know that”. He licked his lips, “like tender… sweet meat”. Nolan teleported in front of us as a storm of umbra particles, he punched Nikolai in the gut and tore through his armor, his shell cracked in half, from his tailbone he formed nine silvery tails; he took out his hand out his intestines and had a bite of them, “You taste like hearty roast, god I love that; now let me put you out your misery”. All his tails stabbed Nikolai in through his torso before separating his body into chunks of flesh, blood, and earth; I saw Nikolai’s and Lexes guardian pull their bodies together and breathed a sigh of relief… Elaine slashed downward grazing Nolan on the shoulder as he dodged just in the nick of time. All three of us kept the pressure with a combination of swings, Nolan dodged our swings with the grace of a ballerina; he took down Elaine with a lariat and snapped her neck… “Let’s have a taste shall we”. He kneeled beside her and punctured her stomach, “fortissimo”! He screamed, “You have brought me euphoria my dear”. Elaine let out a bloodcurdling scream of agony, “Quiet it’s all over now… Stay down I’ve had my fill of you for now… my sweet morsel, forgive me for any pain I have caused you”. “Now who’s for dessert”… “You my spry little friend or is it the youngling who can’t even fight”. He went Astoria and tackled her to the ground holding her down by her wrists, “I smell your fear… please don’t piss yourself you’re ruining the experience, how sweet you may taste”. “Don’t touch her”! I stabbed Nolan through the back almost stabbing Astoria in the process, he stood up and took the swords out of his body… he handed them back to me: “Tsk, tsk”. Nolan blinded me and Astoria with a flash of light, I was punched in the stomach and I felt something warm flow… “How is he killing us so easily, our bodies aren’t supposed to fail us”? I dropped to my knees and Nolan took a bite out of my throat, the feeling of teeth sinking into my flesh was violated, I felt his tongue taste my blood; at this moment I felt I had lost all my dignity as a human being… “Don’t feel so bad, at least you taste wonderful… I’m the butcher and you are the cattle… understand”. Nolan kicked me in the face and knocked me on my back, he crushed my chest with his boot breaking my rib cage and splintering it into my vulnerable organs. I passed out from the pain as Astoria scrambled to her feet. She drew her sword and put on a brave face… don’t die. Please don’t die.   
No this isn’t happening… no this isn’t happening, why are they all dying in front of my eyes”? “Tell me little butterfly… what is your name”? Nolan looked at me with that same cruel smile and hunger in his eyes; “No answer… cat got your tongue… then I’ll call you desert… I hope you’re sweet on the inside”. “Don’t worry I’ll make it quick, children have no right to suffer as adults… come if you wish to end this nightmare”. I advanced holding my sword in front me, I slashed down my saw tooth shark sword; Nolan parried with his blade and spun my arms around sending my weapon flying out of hands, I dashed forward and dodged his punch, he grabbed my head and kneed my face; I staggered back and I pulled out my pistols; I watched sixteen rounds I fired at him bounce off his armor causing the bullets to ricochet into the rubble of our home and into the asphalt under our feet. He appeared in front of me, towering above me, he grabbed my wrists wetting his lips with his tongue… squeezing the arteries in my arms, I dropped the pistols in my hands; I stepped on his toes and struggled my hands free… the next thing I knew I was impaled into a wall of the lobby with a chunk of my flesh missing. Nolan walked up to me, he leaned in: “You people are certainly special… I’ve had my fill of you, I want savor each and every one of you… that is if you don’t die from bleeding out… you’ll be seeing me around”. He wiped the blood of his mouth and kissed my lips mingling his tongue with my mine, “You’re all angels that fell out of heaven… consider an act of good will, die by my hands and you’ll be there once more with your friends”. He said backing off of me, the last noises of conflict were only things I heard I as passed out from the agony I was in. “Please… god save us”.   
I woke up in a warehouse, I could smell the ocean air outside… I’ve been here one week, slowly rotting away at the hands of psychopath; in this time I’ve gotten to know Nolan… the real him, and he saw my true colors; we were happy with what we learned about each other, our insanity was irrelevant here after all we were are just two peas in pod… but only thing that kept me from becoming a monster like him was my humanity and identity. I had a blue serum injected into my neck, the fluid was a motor functions inhibitor that exacerbated the pain of contact by a thousand fold, for example if you poked my forehead with your finger if would feel like you stabbed into my brain with a knife. Slowly the feeling in my extremities were gone… I couldn’t move my body; this time the torture was for real… tap. Real to me and Anguish, Nolan intended to steal whatever identity… humanity I had left… personally I knew why he did this, he saw me for I what I was, for what I will become and he wanted to save me from that. Strapped to a reclining chair bolted to the ground with iron stakes, I had my wrists and ankles under cuffs attached to the chair… having pierced into the muscle under my tear duct just a minute ago; tap… tap… tap, slowly I began to lose my sense of self; the most brutal form persuasion if you can call it that, every minute slowly ticked by as my humanity eroded away throwing me deeper into my well of insanity. Normally people who go through a transorbital lobotomy lose their identities after a dozen taps, after around twenty taps they beg their captors to end their lives before they lose anymore of themselves; the needle dug deeper headache “51…52…53 taps already… how are you holding up, hey buddy don’t die on me yet… we’re not through”. By all rights I should have become vegetable by now, I forced my body to become numb to the pain; “I like you… you like me, ok fine it’s like a stalker following you, watching your every move; don’t you feel scared that I might take away what keeps you from going into the deep end”. I looked him the eyes, “No… I have nothing to fear… I served my time hell, this… exercise of ours pales in comparison to what I had to live through”. Nolan took out the needle from my eye, “Sixty seven taps to the brain… you should be dead by now, damn you’re one tough bastard”. Nolan unlocked my restraints, injecting me with the antidote for the previous serum… “I give up… why can’t I break you damn it”! He got out his combat knife, and rushed me, I sprang out of the chair and tackled Nolan to the ground, I grabbed his wrist and disarmed him of his knife by twisting his arm, holding the knife in my right hand I stabbed down, staking the blade into the smooth concrete floor a couple centimeters away from his right ear, I bound Nolan to the ground with cursed seal. I backed off and went to get my gear on the nearby surgical table, “I don’t want to lose what I have left of me... do you understand… I don’t want to lose myself”. Nolan looked at me with disdain, “You’re a fool, who would accept you… give up… there is no savior for people like us, I’m trying to show you compassion is weak—“I heard enough”, I stomped his face and heard it crack apart. “No more suffering, no more misery, no more death; Nolan I want to live for once and not have the guilt of being the monster I am, I asked myself everyday why I had to become this thing… why evil souls have to take so much from the world, why I couldn’t fight back… I will never accept this side of me, I’ll tell you why you can’t break me… I have surpassed my demons, now I am my own demon”. When the antidote took hold in my body, I slid my foot on the ground; I clenched my fist and out the circle came out a prison of razor sharp stalactites of red crystal. From my back I formed six scythes out of my arms, I crashed the appendages into the circle and it exploded circle behind me in a deep pink flash of light… Nolan reformed himself in front of me with streams of white and black particles… “You never change do you”? He said smiling, “Neither do you jackass”. “Go… we’ll be seeing each other soon enough”. I walked up to lock mechanism and opened the steel doors by releasing the latches, I slid the doors flush, taking the fresh sea air, and I felt at peace once more; “I’ve never hated you… Nolan, I just wanted to better than what I was… can you forgive me”. I said walking out into the pier, I felt a hand on my shoulder: “You’re the first person I’ve cared about in a long time, I couldn’t bear to lose you… you’re the only family I have left now; do me favor and don’t die, freedom comes at a cost… I want to know if you’re willing to pay that price”. “Of course, life wouldn’t be living otherwise”. The hand let go and I stepped into bright morning. I walked back home, and found Death himself sifting through the ruins of my home, in the parking lot I saw five body bags; he crossed out five names in his book and turned toward me; he looked back at the body bags disappointed. I walked over and he hung his head in sadness, “Would you like to join your friends… in the memorial”. I looked at Death, “I’m sorry for your loss… you should speak with them once more before they permanently fade out of this existence”. “You’re going try to save them aren’t you”? “Ragnarok, answer me”. “I’m not losing them, they have so much to live for… no one is taking that from them”! “Very well, I will open the vault for you”. I looked at Death, and he opened a portal to his vault of souls; “collect them and bring their souls to their bodies before midnight today… understood; I’ll patch up their bodies in the meantime”. “Thank you”. He nodded and smiled: “Faith divides us and death unites us”. I stepped into the portal and walked into a ballroom with my friends walking about in the middle. Astoria saw and ran toward me, she wrapped her arms around my waist for a hug, but she just phased through my body. I knelt down and looked at Astoria in the eyes, “Are we going to die”? “No, I’m going to keep that from happening”. “I’m scared, I don’t want to die”. “Astoria, just walk out door of the ballroom and you’ll back home… I promise, a friend will watch over you for time being”. I wiped the tears from her face, “Go home we’ll join you soon”. I walked over and touched the others, anchoring their existence for a just few more moments, my presence alerted them; they looked at me more startled than anything else, like children being stirred from their sleep. “The exit is open you know”. I felt a tingling in my gut, I ducked and dodged a sword swing to my head, I stepped back and slicing through the afterimages of my friends one by one, my enemy appeared out of the wind; he was dressed in ultra-reinforced nanofiber suit, on his back there was an EX-41 grenade launcher, a riot shield, and in his hands he held a vibrating sword; I drew my sword and sealed the portal behind me with a snap. Covering his face I saw one of the masks hanging on over the fireplace of our destroyed home; there were ten masks on the wall, for all of the elements present… so wait this jackass is on my team with Nolan… damn it where is fairness in that? “Where did you get that”? I felt my anger started to boil inside staring at the mask; it was a fireball of orange and red; then I saw his eyes… a stormy grey, there was no evil intent in his heart or mind, just the mentality of getting a paycheck to eke out a living, I looked at his body and saw his entire outfit was the color of tiger lilies, I reached into my pocket and found my mask; I wonder how this got here, but now it doesn’t matter; I have answers to look for and it starts now with, interrogating the man in front of me. “Your friends are in the company of my employer Thane. And I expected a thirteen year old girl, not you”. I put on my mask, what he was staring at was a piece of grafted face of some poor bastard with the expression of horror on his face as it was cut off from the rest of his head, covering the rest of the mask is a piece of burlap painted with dry shades of blood. Boogeyman… I like it. “Well to bad, I hope you can settle for me”. I put on my mask, I hid my face and drew my sword; I composed myself: play it cool… I have plenty of time now, my friend’s bodies and souls are in the physical world, that’s the good the news… but why does name bother me so much? I clashed blades with my opponent, from his body language he knew that we were both holding back. My blade hissed at the vibrating metal, I withdrew my sword and jumped back to dodge a downward vertical swing and the purple shockwave that followed it smashed into one of the pillars holding up the ballroom. I drew out my QBZ-95, I took a shot and from the barrel came flying out a burst of three streaks of fire; I rolled out the way and dodged a 40mm grenade… only four of six supports now remained, “You should fight back before I collapse the roof over our heads”. “You’re insane”. “So are you”. “Let’s be friends”. “If we both make it out of this alive, we’ll talk over some coffee… where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself: I’m Louis”. “Ragnarok, nice to meet you”. My only lead in an ever thinning trail, I hope can trust this guy… hell he’s probably thinking the same; at least we have that in common. Louis, Thane, Nolan, have revealed themselves… one remains... I can sure as hell bet he’s the one working with Thane. It came to me… I knew Thane, at one point… he was vapid, insignificant man; only concerned with keeping his spot at the top of the food chain of criminals in the underbelly of this city… consider him as a mobster, a more charismatic type of evil… you call us friends even, except there was one thing that bugged me the most about him… he wasn’t evil for a purpose like me. Like the man in front of me… I could tell Louis and I came from the same place in terms of ethics… they could very well be thrown out the window if they impede our ultimate end goal. He wasn’t evil because of being driven by his inner demon like Lex, he wasn’t evil because he went crazy from the conflicting wills inside like Nolan… no he was much worse than all of us, even me a complete axe crazy psychopath has standards to follow by… so does Nolan and Lex, even Louis a bounty hunter has his limits and knows what he won’t do for money. Thane is a complete monster to put it shortly… the worst kind of scum and evil, his name makes me sick. I’ve eaten him once, he tasted like the intestines of a fish on the verge of spoiling and very thought of him planning something scares me to death. I still remember his last words to me, “I can live neither with you, nor without you”. His epithet was the angel of genocide… that man has ended all things he considers impure, the ultimate nihilist… the man, the monster that sent me in a downward spiral. He made me into what I am today. Not all dark is evil, not all good is light; what makes either us good or evil is dependent on how we use our light or darkness.   
“Are we going to stand here all day or are going we going to fight”. “Sorry for taking a moment to gather my thoughts… I’m on a short fuse today, by the way I’ll buy the coffee for us… if you yield here and now”. Louis drew his sword, “Not a chance in hell”; he said smiling. “That’s what I thought… now let’s take this nice and easy”.  
We ran toward each other, for some reason I was reminded back to earlier days as I clashed swords with Louis; all my previous enemies, all of my past duels they started to playback in real time in my head, I raised my sword and blocked on instinct and he stepped back to lunge forward in a quick thrust, I stepped backwards and spun to my left to avoid the downward stab from his jumping strike; I glanced off the next three blows with the flat side of my blade and parried each one slowly weathering away at his guard, with a punishing heavy vertical slash; I broke his guard and smashed the floor at his feet leaving a crater, Louis started a vicious torrent of wild slashes, I blocked the myriad of slashes; I could see him start to wear out and with the last parry our swords were locked in a clash, seeing his mask up close I looked into his eyes and saw joy, he looked into my eyes… our expressions said it all: I will win, even it costs me and a leg. In the blink of an eye Louis withdrew his sword and threw me by the collar, I stabbed my blade into the ground to stop myself from crashing into one of the marble supports; I felt my back lightly touch the column before I was smashed into it by a shoulder charge, knocked into a bed of rubble I spring kicked Louis in the stomach as he was to decapitate me with his riot shield, I got on my hands and shot up to my feet, closing the gap between us I smashed my head into his. He staggered back and I slashed down, my attack was blocked by an arm of violet flames that came out his shoulder. The fire changed to a deeper shade and erupted outward, I stepped back as Anguish shielded us from the torrent of flames, “That was too close for comfort Ragnarok, we need to stay on our game”. “This guy isn’t fucking around is he”? “Watch out”! I stepped back as I watched Louis run toward us, I flourished my tails; he jumped and went into a spin with him and his sword becoming a pinwheel, I jumped back and he staked his sword into the ground I was just standing on, he removed the blade from the ground and went into a tornado swing, before finishing with a helm breaker swing; I caught the helm breaker with my tails, I felt my forehead with my fingers… it was warm, I lowered my hand and saw my blood; my tails collided with a wall of purple fire, I retracted my arms and saw it burn with a pure white hue. “Hand to hand, the only way I can beat him”. I sheathed my sword and put it on the ground, Louis charged forward and I intercepted him with a haymaker to his face; I grabbed his neck and choke slammed him to the ground, I stomped on his chest and he caught my foot, twisting my leg I heard a sickening snap, in retaliation I stabbed him through his armor of flames with a psychowheel in hand and pierced his soft flesh rendering it into chunky confetti. I pressed my psychowheel into his body and blew up his insides stabbing them with slender pins of entropic energy; I clenched my fist around his heart and squeezed it my hand making it burst in his chest. Louis smiled his bloody teeth as he stabbed his sword through my belly, with his offhand he tossed my body into the left most side of the room and smashed me into the of granite with just a simple gesture; I staggered up and saw the purple flames coat his mortal wounds making him good as new… “Hades, let’s end this”. Louis said to himself, I felt the ground rumble and scream in terror as Louis coated his right arm with a torrent of violet flames it hardened into a mass of smoking tendrils forming a claw where his hand should be. He sheathed his sword in the cover on his back as he tilted his neck slightly to the left; he his left arm glowed white as he adjusted his riot shield to his forearm. I got on all fours and pounced forward, I stabbed the ground with my tails and slingshot myself into a dropkick, on contact the impact made Louis buckle to his knees, I staked four of my tails into the ground and formed scythe blades from the other, I slammed them down on his right arm and my tails shattered on impact; I was thrown backward as Louis swung his shield arm outward, he dashed forward and slammed his fist into me and was drove into the ground, my spine broke on the tile from the initial impact, I rolled out the way as my spine reset itself; in the crouching position I threw myself forward and dolphin dived above Louis, I spun in the air before I drew my sword and wrapped the chains around his neck, I jerked down the handle and smashed him back into the floor cracking his neck; I jumped and smashed my feet into his back, I leapt back away as he rolled over on his stomach, he lifted up his head; I kicked his face sending blood and teeth flying out his mouth. I placed my foot on his and grabbed him by the arm and tore off his gauntlet of fire, it came off like the sleeve of a shirt; I smashed it into his head as it disintegrated into purple specs, he blocked the blow with his riot shield with the polymer giving way to the impact of my hit; he rolled out of the way and stood up one knee at a time. He threw his shield to the ground to hold his sword two handed and I looked around us, the ballroom was a mess, dust flew everywhere as I crossed swords with Louis and from the impact of our blades; the window panes above us shattered and fell on us as raindrops of glass. Louis staked his sword in the ground and lifted his hands, looking at the frame above us; he tore it off its hinges and threw it at me by making the motion with his arms… I slashed downward and sliced the frame in half… bathing in a cascade of sparks; Louis picked up his sword and I rushed forward, I placed the blade at his throat and he held his above my head... Louis stepped backward as I thrust my sword, he ran up a broken column and sprang himself forward driving his sword in front of him, I dropped to my knees and I put my back to the floor to avoid having my head skewered through; I scrambled up and I lunged forward stabbing my blade at his feet. As I struggled to remove my sword Louis punched my stomach, I looked in his eyes and sealed his fate; he sent me flying to the left wall of the room; I crashed out of the room and into a field of white lilies. From where I was the ballroom was nonexistent, the flowers slowly turned into roses as Louis and I faced each other in the field. I started to fade out of reality, our previous ring faded into nothingness; I pressed my hands into the ground and the field was completely covered in crimson roses charged with entropic energy. I slid my feet and the energy around the roses crystalized into razor sharp blades of bloodstone; Louis rushed forward, he leapt through the air and I thrust out my hands to my sides, I clapped them together; I felt his sword about to pierce my scalp, his blood dripped on me as I skewered him in field deep red bloodstone spires, I got on one knee and punched the ground; his prison exploded with him and I drew my sword to stake it in the ground causing a hailstorm of psychowheels to bombard Louis into oblivion. I snapped my fingers and shattered this reality to end this duel, we were back in the ballroom just as we were about kill each other. Louis fell on his knees after taking his next breath, and fell on his face unconscious; his sword hit the ground with a clang, and the duel was over.   
The zipper of my body bag opened as I was transported back to the land of the living, taking a breath of fresh air I sprang up touching my body, feeling ecstatic to be alive once again. I watched as the portal snapped shut and was wiped clean out of this plane of existence, I was left alone once more; “I can live neither with you, nor without you… you mortals are a fickle lot; but that’s why I envy you so much”. I turned my head and saw Death… he was a mild mannered man in his late 20’s, his words echoed with wisdom garnered from over centuries; “No one is above death… not even your friends… but they still try anyways. I have been around since the beginning of all things, and never have I met a group such as yours”. I looked at Death, he was dressed in a snow white suit and his very presence was calm and still like a pond. Despite what he stood for, what he was… he was indeed a human in terms of how feels about the world and its people. He looked at me with compassion, “You will join your family soon enough… I can promise you that much”. He helped me out of my body bag and sat us down on the asphalt; “Well all we can do now is wait, have faith in him… don’t worry he’ll bring them back safe and sound”. I looked at Death and he smiled looking out toward the evening horizon, “I love sunsets… they always remind me of home”. “Where is your home”? I asked him, “Paradise”. He replied. “You’re an angel”? “No… I am simply a wayward spirit, looking for grace… the paradise I am talking about is neither heaven nor hell. Simply the middle ground between existence and nothingness… I am Death… nothing more, nothing less, you can me Reico”. “I’m Astoria nice to meet you”. “Let’s a have a friendly game to pass the time”. “Like a duel”. “I was thinking a game of poker, but a duel works to”. “I’ve yet seen you fight, to be specific I’ve yet to see Elaine and Nikolai as well”. “Now let’s see what you’re made of”. Reico drew his scythe and I tapped the ground with it as he used it to stand up, “I’m not much of a fighter”. “Then you don’t a chance against me, your vocation calls you to rise to occasion and survive… you can’t fight… then you will die with the rest of your friends”. With a backflip, I landed in a reverse cartwheel to dodge Reico’s slam; I drew my pistol as I landed on my feet, I squeezed the trigger shot him in the face and neck; the bullet went through his eye and blew out the left side of his brain on the asphalt, I looked at his pulsing vein through the hole in his neck… he popped his jaw and his wounds closed up. Reico appeared in front of me as a blur of white and cleaved my body apart, the blade went through my body like a knife through water; the blow that was supposed to kill me triggered my DNA and made it flourish… I kneed him in the groin and I shot out his eyes with both pistols; I placed my hands on shoulders and launched myself up, I pressed the barrels into the top his skull and fired away my remaining rounds; he crumpled into a pool of black blood as I leapt back to a safe distance, I saw his arm snap straight he aimed his revolver; I felt bullet pierce through my gut; Reico stood up and cocked his MP5, he shot out my knees with two three round bursts and I placed six three more bursts into my torso; I could no longer form my guardian as a solid entity only slivers of water. With the remaining ammo in his clip, he shot my head twice and it burst open like a grape; “Our guardians keep us alive… each time we are brought closer to death… but at the same time we grow stronger as people”. I manifested the hydra within me, I burst the water pipes underneath him, sending him flying upward with a claw of water and chewed up Reico with the nine heads of my hydra as I thrust my arms upward; the heads faded out, I showered in the cloudburst of rain and black blood. Reico formed behind me, “You’ve beat me, congratulations”. I fell on my knees breathless, “I have that inside me… why did you wake it up”. “You and your friends have a long time to live out, I don’t want time to be cut short, not even by a second”. Reico tapped his scythe and pointed it at the rubble of my destroyed home, “Let’s give them a home to come back to, shall we”? The ruins of the complex reformed and it was good as new… “Thank you”. “Don’t thank me, just become strong, and stay by your friends… you chose this life without a single indication of the danger it presents every day. All of you have a warrior inside, become your own hero and become a legend; I have seen the beginning and end of all people… and the gifted like us, we have to make ourselves better then who we were the day before, this is how we define survival”. Reico left me in a stream of dust; all there was quiet and the nothing I felt inside. I heard footsteps behind me, I turned and faced Nolan once more he stood in front of me, but this time I was alone; I won’t be scared. I told myself, “So little one… are we ready to die, again”? “Not today”, I mumbled to myself. “Speak up little mouse”, he said messing my hair and giving me a noogie, “Not Today”!


	4. Episode Four:

“You’re different… where did that scared girl go, I wanted to apologize to her… and please tell me who I am talking to right now. The piece of you that wants to kill me or the piece of you that wants your friends back”? “Anyways I’m not in the mood to fight, so if you’ll step out of the way”. Nolan looked at the body bags with the same hunger as the first time we fought, I blocked his path, but he pushed me aside. “Technically I killed them so like any hunter I’m entitled to my kills, yes”? I stood in front of him, “No… you won’t touch them”! I formed nine long blades of water out of my upper back, “Leave now… don’t make me into a killer”. “Don’t try to be what you’re not… that disgusts me more than anything”. Nolan grabbed me by the neck and tossed me into in a streetlight, he looked at the house; “It should have taken you at least another month to rebuild the place… how the hell did you do it alone”? He walked over and primed his blade to my forehead, “Nolan that’s enough”! We heard the command from a distance; at the far right of the parking lot, I saw Ragnarok standing with someone; Nolan put away his sword and looked me, “like my suit”? He extended his hand helped me to my feet, I looked at what he was wearing… it was a seamless blend of black and white silk, it reflected his twisted personality quite well, but underneath all the madness… I could see there was still some sympathy and compassion left, maybe even the ability to love. “It looks nice”. “Good, I’d be clear about before, I get a little zealous when I meet new people… so yeah, normally I don’t hold back as much as I did”. I saw him salivate as he spoke out the words. “So firstly… sorry for trying to eat you, and everything. Secondly… that was wonderful meal and I want to thank you for providing it on your behalf”. He said wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. “It’s definitely not every day you befriend a cannibal”. Nolan smiled at me, this time as a person, not a chunk of meat. Ragnarok walked over to us with a stranger dressed in tiger lily orange combat gear and mask, in a sense he was a walking fireball; his armor glowed white hot in the evening sunlight, the sunset behind him and his armor faded into a darker shade of orange; “We’ve got a party to crash, you ready to rock”. I heard Nolan say to Ragnarok, then Ragnarok spoke to me, “Astoria are you feeling alright”? I looked at him: “I’m not too sure how I’m feeling right now”. “Louis… hold down the fort and watch over her… please”. Ragnarok spoke to the man besides him, “There are few bounty hunters who stick to their original employer, but you’re lucky I’m not that kind of person”. “We can agree on that much, let’s try not to kill each other at least for the next few days”. “Deal”. “We might die you know that right, Ragnarok”? “Nolan… we have lives to save, the bodies should be sown together; we just have to place the souls back in them”. “Aw… you’re no fun… you’d better take me to the morgue after all of this”. “Fine… I’ll get you all the bodies you can eat”. Ragnarok said holding his forehead at the image. “Om nom nom”. Nolan said into his ear, “Stop that… you know I hate that”. “I’m just kidding”. They left and walked into the distance. Leaving me and Louis in the parking lot, “So what do you want do to pass the time”. Louis said taking off his mask, he was middle aged man, his face was worn and rugged… but in the scars I could see he still had the same fatherly love for his men and family. He brushed his hand through his salt and pepper hair setting down flat, he looked at me with his stormy grey eyes… “You’ve been through a lot this past week, haven’t you”? I embraced him out instinct, I cried into his armor… feeling lost and confused more than ever before. “I don’t know who I am anymore”. “You’ve got a long way to go to find that answer, I’m sorry I can’t tell who you are… you’re going to find that out on your own”. I was lifted into his arms and taken inside the rebuilt home; seeing my home standing strong once more, brought a smile to my lips, “For now just rest and think back to happier days”. He said to me as we stepped out of the elevator, Louis injected a sedative into my neck as he stepped into the penthouse suite. I was set down on my bed and my world went black.  
I signed myself onto the Alpha team roster with Nolan, I registered Thane and Draco as well… the team was complete and if the mission goes well; there will be ten members here tonight. I prayed for the first time in ten years when I sat down on the couch: God keep them safe and bring them back home. I looked outside and saw the body bags lying there in the parking lot, I hurried out and brought them back inside in the suite.  
I changed into a suit and tie as we walked through the streets, we blended in with the crowds; making our way through the streets and after traipsing the slums of the city, we stood in front of a sealed door blocking off a train station from the rest of the district. “The devils have arrived”, Nolan and I kicked down the barricade; we started our descent into hell. We were greeted by a horde of dregs, they were pitiful thing; once living things now corrupted living in a state of limbo; Nolan and I mowed them down with our assault rifles… we made our way to the boarding platform and saw Thane himself; “Time for the main course”. He was wore tan suit and tie, with a green button down shirt; he straightened the belt holding up his tan slacks, and tapped the heels of his loafers on the ground. “Oh… didn’t expect you for at least another hour… anyways”. He looked at us, and shook his head in disappointment. “You’re not taking them from me… they are my toys now”. Nolan and I moved forward with our swords ready, Thane drew a double sided axe marked with a Celtic trifecta, “Gentlemen meet providence”. He rushed us as bolt of black lightning and slammed down his axe between us sending us flying into the bloodied walls of the decrepit station, Nolan shot out of the rubble of the wall and slammed his fist into Thane’s head, he sent his body flying through a column and into the tracks. I stood up and shook off the dust, just as I was about jump back to the main platform a burning train screeched by me. I took a step back and waited for the train to pass, with my heart in my throat. Thane climbed back on the main platform and ran toward me, as I stepped back into the ring; I blocked his swing and kneed him in the gut, I heard the train in the tunnel to my left, I grabbed him by the collar and turned him around, smacking his head into the train; I watched as his blood smear on the burning metal of the train in front of me , I threw him back on the track as the second train screeched by and tossing him into its path and it smashed into him, we looked at each other ran toward the rear of the train and staked our swords into the metal as a foothold, Nolan climbed up to the top and helped me to stand on the roof of the train as it went down the high ceiling tunnels. We saw Thane on the other side and shot ourselves forward, standing face to face; he pulled out his recoilless rifle and blew out the bolt connecting our car to his, Thane shot the handle on the dirt floors and redirected our track into the path of concrete roadblock; Nolan and I sliced down the wall as we leapt off the front of the train, we landed on the other side as the cloud of rubble and dust clear, it came to us that we stood in front of the incoming train, by instinct we punched forward and watched as the train crumple into a ball of burning twisting metal; I heard insane laughter in the tunnel to our right, then the track in front of sparked and Thane was rushing toward us on his burning steed. He jumped off the train and strain from his legs smashed it into the ground, he smiled as he was about to crash between us, I hammer threw Nolan and he flew into the air, he dropkicked Thane out of the station into the empty streets above us, Nolan pursued flying out above as drill of light and shadow; I condensed the burning mass behind me into a psychowheel of metal, I supercharged it and followed after Nolan with it continually shrinking in my hand, from the air I saw Nolan fly into the skyscraper beneath me and it broke apart on top of him, I saw the building fall in its footprint as Nolan shot out of the rubble as a drill, he bounced on the street and ricocheted into Thane like a missile; Thane was slammed into a crater and he looked up with his arms and legs spread out, Nolan looked at me and teleported into the air besides me, I held the psychowheel in my hands aimed into the crater where Thane was lying, Nolan charged two spheres of grey energy in his hands; “Let’s end this”. “Isn’t this a little overkill”. “I don’t believe in overkill”. “1…2…3”. “Dazzling midnight/ Twilight Abyss”! From our hands came out beams of our wrath, the ground lit up in a flash of lights as we annihilated the old city along with Thane; our ears rang as we settled back down to the ground. Our battle ground was torched to glass and Thane stood in the middle of it all; “That’s all you got… I’m disappointed”. I Thane manifested a feathered dragon of black lightning and metal out his punch, Nolan and I jumped to the side and rushed forward to avoid a storm of razor sharp obsidian shards from the sky, we formed Anguish and Pazuzu out of our swords, as they fended off the dragon above us; we hammered away at Thane with blow after blow from our swords, Nolan appeared behind me and we faded forward with our blades still our sheathes; we pulled out the sword as we stood up from a crouched position to shake off Thane’s inky blood. My sheathe glowed a deep red and hissed at the foul taste of his blood; Nolan sheathe glowed black as it absorbed the blood inside it, we breathed and two large slashed burst open on Thane’s chest and back. He fell on his knees as his head rolled off his shoulders. “A dual coup de grace… elegant and efficient”. I heard Nolan say to me… I looked up and saw Thane’s guardian beast: Quetzalcoatl fade back into its host. Our guardians were absorbed into us, “Now that we got introductions out of the way… let’s talk”. “God damn it… for the last time where are they”! I punched Thane in the face and sent him crashing toward the ground, “That’s for you to find out”. Nolan held me back just as I was about to beat Thane into a bloody pulp. He looked in my eyes and I closed mine, I let out a deep sigh; “He doesn’t deserve it”, “You’re too soft”. Nolan brought Thane on his feet and pressed his hand into his head, “I’m going to give you until the count of ten to answer my question: Where are they”? I saw a sigil; the lines formed into a heart and burn into Thane’s chest, “Commoto Cordis. One”.   
I saw his eyes bulge in fear, “Tell me shitbag, I’m running out of patience… two”. “You’re insane”. I pressed my free hand into his chest and the mark burned brighter, he collapsed on his knees as I sapped his strength, “Three… Four… Five”. “I’ll ask you again: where are they”? I accelerated his heartbeat to three hundred beats per minute with a snap of my fingers; “Tell me before your heart bursts”! He heaved and I felt a hand on my shoulders; I eased his heart back to eight beats a minute, “He’s had enough Nolan”; I spun around and backhanded Ragnarok. “Stay out of this”! I turned back to Thane and kicked his gut as he rolled on the ground in agony, he rolled into a ball; “Six… Last chance Thane”. “Please stop”. I watched as his eyes tear in pain; he bent further inward and vomited over himself, “Stop… I’m begging you”. “Seven… Eight… Nine… T”. I felt his hand grip my ankle, “No more”. “Ten”. I heard a pop in his chest, his heart exploded. I turned and looked at Ragnarok; he stared back with a look of disdain and disgust. “You’re not a god, what gives you the right to decides who lives and dies”. “You always make me the bad guy, he’s just playing possum”. I turned and punted Thane in the stomach; he slid on the ground and his limbs fell limp as he stopped in his tracks. “Uh-oh, maybe I did kill him… oh well”. “You bastard”, Thane coughed out blood and heaved in a breath of air, “What makes you think you’ll a shot of saving them”. I walked over and I pressed my foot into the side of his head, “Shut up”. I kicked his face and cracked his skull with a hard stomp; I rubbed my foot into his head wound, “Want me to scramble your brain, I got a knife built into my shoes for just an occasion”. I stooped down and clicked the switch on my loafer, I stabbed his brain with a six inch titanium blade; I poked in the wound, “Answer me already would you, I’m getting bored”. “The amphitheater”, he croaked out… “Say that again”. I axed his neck with my left leg and snapped it half, “The town theater”. “What do you say Ragnarok up for the matinee”?   
I sat bound in a metal chair bolted to the ground, a well-dressed man walked up to me; he straightened his floral tie and matching vest, “I am Draco, what might your name be”? I looked piercing green eyes filled with venom and hate, I spit in his face; he frisked my pants and took out my wallet, he looked at my occupancy license: “Elaine, such a pretty name doesn’t suit a bitch like you”. “How about I fix you up for your grand debut”? I was tackled to the ground and Draco carved up my body, I screamed at the agony; “Yes… Scream and let me ravish you”. He stood up and faced the red curtain after placing the chair upright, I looked at the curtain; he pulled the rope and I saw my friends bound to metal crucifixes, “Tell me which one I should kill first… I’m waiting for your answer, and please don’t disappoint me I’ve got quite the tantrum”. My eyes shot between my friends, I set my gaze on Lex and Draco smiled at my choice: “You truly are entertaining”. “What is he to you”? “He was enemy, now I don’t know”. Draco’s smile faded as he toyed with the knife in his hand, he scowled and chucked it at Lex nailing him in the heart, he stabbed away Lex’s unconscious body; “He’s now a work of art”. He carved the image of a burning fire into his skin, “Slice… slice… how wonderful is this”.   
The air felt heavy, and reeked of old blood; I looked into the face of a madman, he carved up Ashton and turned to face me with a devilish grin, “What do you think doesn’t suit him”; he flayed Ashton’s skin into the design of a hummingbird, “Or should it be a lotus”. I watched my captor slice up Ashton’s torso into a lotus flower, he placed his hand on Nikolai’s chin; “So big guy, what do you want to be”? He shook his jaw and looked at me with a long face, “Says he wants me to decide”. “I say a bear, how does that sound hon”? He said twirling his knife in his hand.   
Why is this happening to me, what I am doing here? I looked at my captor and he laughed at my agony as he walked around the amphitheater, looking at my now conscious and bound friends; he approached them and started flaying them open again; waiting for the wounds to close and pecking away at their bloodied scars, I heaved at the sight, feeling my lungs about to give in and my chest rose causing me agony, as the same sensation of being ripped apart from the inside out, it became the only constant I could depend in this horrible ordeal… I haven’t lost who I was, but the rest has or to put it already have… Nikolai, Ashton, and Lex… they watched me helpless as they were chained against the wall and forced to watch what I had to endure, while being physically mutilated… what was going kill us wasn’t the pain of physical or psychological torture inflicted on to you: it was the kind of pain that was caused by deepening scars and were felt only on the inside: having your identity pulled apart by a psychopath, your humanity and the beast you tried to put to sleep crying for the pain for the to stop. In their case it was the pain of seeing a loved one slowly die right in front of their eyes and they couldn’t do a single thing about it. The past week slowly crawled by in a cycle of physical and psychological torment, it wasn’t the kind of torture that disfigured you, it was the kind of attack that ripped apart of who you are on the inside… see most fae in this day and age, live fairly human lives and we’ve forgotten who, what we were born as, when I first met Ragnarok… I was terrified to see the kind of person he was, we are stigmatized our embracing this side of us; but oddly enough he didn’t care what anyone else thought of him, this life we’ve chosen we need to forget our humanity if we’re going to survive, but remember who we are if we want to keep our sanity, it’s a contradiction… I finally understand what the phrase means: I can neither live with you nor without you… there is a beast inside of all of us, blending in with the humans we grow complacent and the beast, the will that gives strength lies fallow and slowly withers away with our connection to our true identities. This is the first test of my new life, often it will be the first for many to forget their humanity and focus solely on survival… that is what it means to be a fae… I am Elaine… I am a succubus, and a dragon no one will that from me! I felt my inner demon awaken, like a flower bud shaking off winter; I will flourish and the world shall burn at my hands… starting with you. My body slowly changed over the past week, and now the metamorphosis was complete; he wanted this side of us… the monster inside us we tried to put to sleep… we are not human, that is clear… but to try to take our humanity from us… that is unforgivable. The chains holding me to the ground melted from my anger, I stood facing my captor and he smiled at me; “Finally the fun can begin… I was—. I stabbed my hand through his chest and punctured his heart, “Shut up… I’m sick of you talking”. My bangs were swept aside I set myself ablaze, “I’ve spent my time in hell… it’s your turn now”. I punched his face and pulled my hand out his chest leaving a hole were his heart should be, his clothes were caked with my blood, I held the melted chains in my hands and wrapped them around his neck, I squeezed them tightly and his neck snapped as the molten links burned into his flesh; for this moment I felt Cerberus clearer than ever. “We are one, now you understand, you have accepted me, and you have accepted yourself”. “No… I have surpassed my demons, and I can surpass you”. “That’s my girl… now let’s rip him apart”. For the first time in my life I wasn’t afraid of my power, I wasn’t afraid of who I was meant to be. I manifested Cerberus and he smashed a paw of magma and sent Draco through the hardwood floor, I leapt above the hole and breathed out a stream of fire, I went down the rabbit hole and faced my devil… I realized that: all of this was happening to our souls, not our bodies… I felt my identity slip these past few days as my psyche cracked like a rotten egg and I longed for home, to be alive again. I will not wait for a savior anymore… I am my own savior. The funny thing is when a soul is brought back to the world of the living with its body, it can still feel pain, even though it’s not physical wound; I looked at Draco, he was dressed in a crimson red suit and slacks with darkened patches of God knows what. On his neck was a blue tie white streaks, signs of torture were engraved into his hard lines on his face; the bags under his eyes. I stared at him, cold green eyes contrasted with his ebony skin; physically he was attractive and handsome in every sense… but who he was, that disgusted me more than anything else. I snapped my fingers and formed my sword; the chains slipped off my thin wrists, I gripped my sword with both hands… up until now, I never had a legitimate reason to use any of my weapons, or fight… I had sworn to a life of peace, now that think about it have I used my weapons to take a life before? It doesn’t matter anymore… pacifism we be erased by Ustanak… my flames of rebellion”. “Apophis, let us entertain our guest”. A large viper shot out of Draco’s right arm as he punched forward and Cerberus formed in front of me to bite the creature by its throat and threw it aside. Draco closed the gap between us and clawed me with his hands, tearing through my rough dragon scales, he pulled out a bladed wheel and slammed it over my head; smashing me into the concrete floor of the basement, he smashed me again as leapt above me, on impact he spun the wheel to rend me to shreds. I stopped the wheel by closing my hands and threw it off me, I grabbed it and tossed it aside. Draco pulled back the wheel and attached it to his back, before banishing our guardians back to their home; “Exactly what the hell are you”. I was tackled to the ground and pinned by my wrists, “Let’s find out”. I said to him spitting in his eye. He pulled out his scalpel and aimed for my right eye, I pushed him off me with a blast of heat from my chest tearing his arms off him, with the loss of blood flow his arms released the grip of his hands and I held them in my hands as clubs… “Die”. I rushed forward becoming the monster he wanted to see so badly. I beat him down with his arms and pummeled away, turning his face into a blood pulp; I tossed his arms aside and got off his chest, I got the scalpel off the bloody floor, I stabbed him over and over in the brain, lastly I torched his body in brilliant explosion of fire… the amphitheater was burned to the ground with the explosion, leaving sitting in a pile of ash; with a dome of charred tiles behind me.   
Five minutes earlier: “Lex… Ashton, are you still with me”. I heard two moans, I set us free and covered us in a dome of marble tiles; “Elaine you are our only hope”. I shielded us from the explosion of fire and took a deep breath to hold up our barrier. “God keep us safe… and give me the strength to put this demon to rest, she has seen enough suffering today. I collapsed the dome and placed a protective seal over Ashton and Lex; I held my blades in my hands ready for the firestorm of hatred that has consumed Elaine. As the ashes of our captor faded into the distance and reformed nearby; Draco walked away for now… but I knew he would come to our home; I would speak my mind then, for now I wanted to rest and forget about this nightmare, she looked at me and rushed me, I braced myself; I was embraced… “Save me… please, Nikolai… Please tell me that everything will be alright”. I heard her cry and I dropped my swords, “No more crying please… I promise, I won’t leave you… our family has made a vow to look out for one another, we promised to each other and ourselves… that we won’t abandon one another no matter the reason or the cost”. My words stopped the crying, I kneeled; Elaine hugged tighter… “We’re not monsters… we all have something beautiful inside us. That is what means to be fae”. Ragnarok approached from the distance with a new ally, their enemy today would return with ours, it surprised me what they would bring, in time and we’d stand side by side; up until today I never knew what it meant to be a warrior… the price of protecting those dear to us.   
I looked into Nolan’s eyes as he took me in his arms, “You’ve been through hell haven’t you”? “Shh, just close your eyes and rest; you’re safe now”. I knew deep down We’d see them again… it’s only a matter time… all enemies will become our friends, and we’d face a threat greater than anything that endangered mankind before.   
One week later  
The last thing remember was embracing Nikolai and after that we ended up back home, alive and in our bodies; I felt whole for the most part… but the scars carved into my mind and soul still remained, Ashton and the others recovered before me, right now they’re in the process of helping me on my feet; while I was out we gained two new members to our family… Thane and Draco, they’re aren’t complete psychopaths and are quite nice to talk to… you know they’re not your enemy and trying to kill you. Seeing them actually helped me overcome my fear… Draco would have made an excellent doctor if he wasn’t so bent on killing everything; as I got to know him I learned he was an excellent caregiver and for the patients that died in his care he took care of their burials personally. Thane was like a kid, he was lovable and a little obnoxious; but there was a side to him I saw once this past week… I don’t know if he faked it or not, but he cares for the people he works with, he calls us his playthings but I know deep down he really does care for us as people, and I guess the same goes for all of us considering who we are; we all do care for one another because that’s all we have left now. On a lighter note the team was now complete… Ashton placed his seal on our team roster and that was the birth Alpha team, but something felt wrong… all of us we were unstable and about to break at moment, Ashton put together what I see as a powder keg about to explode with the right match and amount of tension; so far we’ve gotten to know each other and haven’t killed one another, it was smooth sailing; the first time of peace I’ve had since I joined up with Ashton. I dreaded the day when the call comes in and takes away our peace from us, I vowed to protect to my family but I also promised myself I wouldn’t my identity… I’m afraid I’m going to lose my shit, and when that happens I won’t be able to change back. One day the call is going to come in, and I’m going to join my family in arms on the battlefield… what I am afraid of most is losing the people I love, it doesn’t scare me when I consider who I am working alongside with, it doesn’t scare me when I consider we all have our guardians beasts living inside and that we are monsters, it scares me when I think of the possibility that the love I have for my family will replaced by a different need. The torture it made that part me, the succubus and dragon inside hunger; it’s awake and alive now… I’m scared that I’m going to do something stupid and fuck up everything, I’m scared that I’m going to lose myself… no matter how much I tried I can’t accept this side of me. I closed my journal and put down the pencil, it has been a week since my soul was put back into my body… leaving my body vacant for so long I felt empty inside… I longed for something, but I had no idea what that thing was... and right now I’ve reached my limit of the crazy shit I could see/ handle throughout the day. I laid on my back and stared at the ceiling, “I don’t know who I am anymore”. I looked at my bangs and saw they had darkened into fuchsia color from the agony I was in, I had streaks of my original brown hair blend in with my new hair; I looked in my compact mirror, it was unorthodox but I liked it… I put the mirror on my nightstand and tried to sleep. As I closed my eyes, I saw something very unsettling; I’ve had the same dream since my soul was put back in my body: the world I woke up in was a warped and twisted mirror image, blood started to drip from the ceiling and floor were lined with shreds of organs from innumerable victims and every time I saw myself in the center holding the bloodied corpses of teammates as they rotted into carrion right before my eyes… just as it hit me, they were already gone and their blood remained fresh on my hands, staining my soul a deep red… that’s I all saw here… red and a lot of it, with little streaks of sanitized white trying to cover the hideous truth. The place smelled like a hospital, like medicine… it was somniferous, but the scent of decay, raw flesh and blood would snap me back to the nightmare; I looked at myself and saw a tormented soul; this side of me was haggard, I had Ustanak stick out of my chest with my right hand gripping the handle; then I realized that a blazing longsword was pierced through my chest, on my left arm was my C4 kite shield; I looked had I gone through hell with my gear and armor all torn up, but inside I was longing for some semblance of normality, a life where nothing is supposed to die at the hands of another person… I was always felt like I was walking on eggshells, something always kept me on my toes; I am afraid and insecure… I always feared losing the ones closest to me… the thing about me is I can’t learn to let things go, it always was taken from... this is the pain that makes me the saddest, on my face I saw the lines and the marks of tears, she looked at me… I looked at myself, my true self… Cerberus stood by me; he sat down and lowered his three heads, “You’re a wreck you know that”. He growled out a low tone, “Shut up you prick”. All the madness around faded to black and I was left in the middle of an abyss; my skin turned gray and I started to wither into dust, “Forgive yourself”. I looked at Cerberus, “That’s the first time you didn’t bust my balls for something”. “Unless you’re going to give me a treat… give it a rest”. “You’ve spent too much time listening to opinions of sheep, do you honestly give a damn Elaine… do you seriously give two shits about what humanity thinks about us”? I approached myself, “It’s hard to believe that I have you inside me… I can’t completely accept this side of me Cerberus”. “Why the fuck not”? “Because this isn’t me”. “Look in the mirror and tell me otherwise, that thing kneeling on the ground is you damn it”! “Why can’t you get it through your fucking skull… you can’t reject and accept who on a whim… this is your identity, and if you can’t deal with that… give me a break and just die… that sword is just three inches away from your heart… a little more up and you’ll be free for good”. “Fuck off”. “Your piss and vinegar… don’t make me laugh. You know that you’re life feels like a half assed act; there is nothing that pisses me off more than seeing a person who can do great things, and not have direction for that potential… you disappoint me”. “Cerberus” I felt my anger boil over to critical, I walked over to my fallen self; “No more running… I’m going forward… I have to”. I faced myself with my back straight, I looked into the dulled eyes and focused, I found my soul… a basket of fading embers. “How many times do I have to forsake who I am”? “It doesn’t matter… today I have no doubt”. I stabbed my hand through my chest and rekindled the fire in my heart, I saw Cerberus smile at me… I read his expression: “You’ve got a way to go, kid… I’ll stand by you, besides I’m your one and only asshole”. I woke up in my room… I felt better, I felt whole again; the feeling of soft sheets comforted me; I turned my head and saw Draco sitting in the chair besides me dressed in a white long sleeve shirt and grey vest; he had a green tie with red stripes around his collar and wore charcoal colored slacks, he clacked the heels of black dress shoes and put down his clipboard on my nightstand. “Please tell me… I’m not the only one who struggles with understanding who I am”. He looked at me with intrigue, “Yeah”, he said with an honest smile… “Everyone does struggle with finding out what they mean to themselves… be honest with me have you ever considered why you were put in this life, why you met the people you did”? “No I haven’t”. “Why not… aren’t you curious to know what you’ll become when you are older”? “Sometimes I prefer not to know those things, to put it this way I cross that bridge when I get there”. “I see… how do you define yourself”? “I don’t know… to be honest I’m trying to find out”. Draco sighed and stood up, he turned to walk out the door, “What defines you”? He looked at me, “You and I are on the same boat… I don’t know either and by the way life is short you should do a little more living while you can breathe, I’d made too many mistakes and held on to many regrets; before I had you in my care… I was an underground surgeon… I saved all the vagabonds, dregs, disenfranchised. You name it, it didn’t pay good… but I was happy saving… prolonging the lives of those people the rest of the world had forgotten… then one day my patients started to die in my hands… again and again… until I finally lost it and became this… not all people are doomed to die when they got on my table, but I wish I had known that I couldn’t save all of them… no matter what I tried… I couldn’t save them”. Draco walked out door and stopped in the middle of the frame: “Don’t be stupid and waste your life trying to make amends for things that aren’t your fault… you say you struggle with understand and accepting who you are… the way I see it you’re too dense to admit when you need help and support, you can’t expect to do everything alone… think about it… you reject others, because you’re afraid they’ll reject you if they see who/ what you really are”. He walked out the room and I looked at the clipboard he left behind… “Why do you doubt yourself”? The question was written all over the page with crossed out ineligible scribbles, in the center of the page I saw a circled phrase: Because there is no room for love. I choked on my tears as I read the statement… it was so simple, yet it carried the deepest meanings. All the things we do are based on love… either for self or the sake of others. I heard a knock on my door, I put down the clipboard and looked at Ashton dressed in his marmoset PJ’s; “You feeling okay… I know you’ve took it pretty hard compared to the rest of us; God… what I’m trying to say is… we’re here for you if you need anything at all”. He forced out the words as he pressed back his tears. Ashton took a seat next to me… “It feels like I failed you… I’m sorry”. I got into a sitting position and the wound on my stomach ached and stuns… “It’s okay Ashton… to be honest I feel like shit right now… until I met you my life was boring, I longed for a life of adventure; like the heroes in the comic books… I wanted to become a hero and live in the limelight, see what’s like to have a thrill at every corner; I’ve made up my mind to pursue this life no matter… when I signed up I honestly believed I was ready to step up and deal with the crazy shit I know is waiting out in the dark for us… to put it this way, I knew the danger and surprises this life would bring; that what’s attracted me… I thought it be like: “oh I stepped in dog shit and now I’m cleaning off my shoes… I thought even on the worst days, I could smile and say fuck it… I’m alive and I can be happy again”. I’m not sure I can do that anymore… the enemies we’ve faced so far; they’re the tip of the iceberg... we all know there is worse out there. I’ve seen you guys get torn apart, I’ve seen myself get torn apart… but each time we get put back together I feel more dead than alive, I’m scared that we’re going to lose sight of who we are; it might not me be fighting in these battles, but we are witnesses to one another… it doesn’t matter who the person is but the brutality they are capable of… call me a hypocrite but I’m scared that I’m going to lose my humanity”. Ashton walked out my room and brought back his swords: “You’re not afraid of the weapon… you’re not afraid of protecting yourself”. “Why should I be”? “You’re saying that if you kill outside of self-defense you’ll become like the monsters we fight to keep from harming others”. “To put it this way what makes right period. Either way one person is going to end up dead on the floor, you’ve killed someone, I’ve killed someone… we’ve all killed someone…it doesn’t matter if we can regrow our missing limbs or organs. The amount of damage we take… we can quite literally die a thousand times in a battle and be perfectly fine the next day, all fae are like this; Elaine tell me how killing someone in self-defense isn’t the same as murdering them in cold blood. No matter the intentions a kill is a kill no matter how you look it… their life stained on your hands… my hands. We are tainted but not beyond help… take my hand… please”.  
The alarm rang, a mission came in after a week of quiet… “Elaine, you up for it”? Ashton asked me helping me out of the bed, “You’re not giving me much of a choice”. I said smiling, no just give it time… I can be better. “Let’s suit up, oh and I forgot to mention: guns only, after all we are dealing with civilians today”. Ashton and I walked to the living room, I looked outside and it was snowing lightly; the skies were grey and winter had arrived… December already how have been out really. I put on a beige trench coat over my red sweater; I took of my sweatpants and slipped on a pair of stockings, I put on my jeans and boots. I got my Tinderbox SMG from the armory and took seven thirty-five round magazines of incendiary ammo with me, I put on an ACOG sight on the top rail and slid on a flashlight for the bottom rail; I attached a silencer to the barrel and looked at the red urban camouflage patter, I loaded in a fresh magazine of incendiary rounds and cocked the gun… I heard that familiar click and smiled; the gun felt natural in my hands; after all I built the damn thing. Ashton got his Uzi’s after placing two magazines, he took sixteen more magazines of thirty-two 9mm armor piercing rounds; he attached a silencer to each barrel and put on a tactical laser on each bottom rail; he holstered them around his waist and I noticed that his Uzi’s were painted like the desert brush and sand… “This mission is just going to be the two of us… we all need to start somewhere, consider this as your first real contract. There is a bank office in downtown”, “Wait what”? “There is a group of people trapped in there; right now there is a crowd of looters try to bust in there and kill them; from what they told me… we a good six hours before they break through the steel doors, it’s a simple rescue mission we should be able to do this with both arms tied behind our backs”. “Wait what”. Ashton said smiling, putting on his mask he walked toward the elevator down the hallway, “Just exactly what did you see in me”? I said following him out the door; I slipped on my mask, and he opened the elevator, he took my hand pulling me in, “We’re going to find out”. Ashton got out a sheet of beige paper from behind the reception desk as we walked out into the lobby, he stamped what was our mission contract and pinned it to the corkboard behind him, “Let’s roll we got shit to do”. We stepped out into the parking lot and my cheeks turned rosy from the wind chill, “We’re going to walk”? I asked Ashton… “Yep, this is city is a parkour playground for the enthusiast… i.e. myself”. “Correction we’re going to pretend like we’re ninjas and jump across rooftops”. “Exactly, and lay off on the ninja stuff… its freaking awesome”. “Seriously”. “Yep, catch me if you can”! Ashton teleported in a burst of wind and landed on top of a streetlight, I ran after him; in twenty steps I started to lose breath and I halted in front of car as my side ran right into the left head light; “Damn it slow down”. I put my SMG on my back and sprinted forward, I vaulted over the next car; I slammed my hand down into the hood and propelled myself; gaining momentum I felt Cerberus strengthen my body and my movements started to flow smoothly, my muscles stopped aching; I jumped over an abandoned muscle car and I caught up to Ashton as we ran on the ground with his arms stretched behind him, we ran side by side as we raced out of the lot and onto to the train tracks; in three minutes we heard behind us an incoming freight train… we split up and ran on the dirt road, the train passed us and I couldn’t see Ashton past the speeding cabooses, as it passed halfway in faith I grabbed the side rail and smashed a hole into the sheet metal with my fist; I kicked into two holes for my feet, I climbed up to the roof of the train trying to keep my balance and not lose my grip because I looked down; turned my head down and saw a streak of blurry country road… “Oh fuck, shitty dicks, shitty dicks; shitty dicks”. I cursed the phrase under my breath as I put my body over the edge and laid on my back breathless on the speeding train. “Jesus Christ… Ashton… how the fuck do you this every day”? I staggered up and lurched forward trying to regain my balance on the top of the cargo box; “You like the view”? Ashton said to me as he leapt up and landed in front of me; close enough for our noses to touch, he leaned in and gave me a kiss… “Did ever I tell you…? I love you”. He winked and leapt back to the front of the train, with a single stomps I made my way across as the wind attempted to cleave open my face with pieces of rock and dust sent flying right in my face; I looked forward as saw the winter sunrise… for a moment I felt peace and serenity, I walked toward the little ball in the horizon, I shut out the danger I was in and walked forward, “God that looks beautiful”. I whispered to myself, I snapped out of it and realized that Ashton held me by the collar as my feet dangled off the main train car, “Want me to let go”? He said jokingly, he pulled me back and helped me plant my feet; I felt the train buckle out from the track and Ashton looked into my eyes, and kissed my forehead: “You trust me”? “Yeah”. “That’s good enough for me”. He tucked me into him and we jumped off; Ashton wrapped our bodies into a cocoon of air, as I registered what was happening; I didn’t feel the urge to scream in terror, only stay silent and hope for the best, we safely landed on a boarding platform; I saw the cargo train behind us crash and burn into an run-down warehouse, it burst into a giant inferno of blue flames, a bright white light blinded me and for a second all I heard was the explosion… I looked at Ashton; just before the light took away our vision … then nothing, like all the air had been sucked out from the atmosphere; my body felt light and I started to lose consciousness, as the air in my body expanded. I looked into Ashton face, and saw him mutter something; all sound returned and I could breathe, I let out a breath and coughed up blood; I looked at the distance and no longer saw the dilapidated buildings that made up the docks… but faint ash outlines of them on the ground. I felt his ear touch my chest, even though my ears rang; I could still make out a sigh of relief, then I heard another voice… I opened my eyes and Ashton smiled back; he helped up to my feet and wiped my nose with his handkerchief, “I should’ve given you more warning”. “We’ve got hostages to rescue… let’s go”. We walked out the train tracks and we’ve arrived in the city, I have to say… I’m glad I stayed away from here; in our little castle, we stayed away from the madness and carnage that ran red through the streets; to give more information to the role and location of our base; I’ll be clear it is the last line of defense for the safe zone left of our home; it is located on the outer outskirts of the safe zone and old the city; for us it’s the perfect place to keep an eye on both. “Nest… come in; how many clicks are we away from your position”. Ashton spoke into his earpiece, and we heard static; we heard screeches in the abandons buildings in front of us… in the window I saw a purpled creature walking on all fours, to be honest it looked like a German shepherd with six eyes, with five inch teeth and claws; it looked at us and howled, I felt the ground rumble and it all felt quiet. All the windows shattered and it leapt out the window with a running start, it landed on the street and broke the asphalt; from the buildings, alleys, and manhole covers a swarm of pink biped bald mutts came running after us, with the shepherd guiding the horde; they sprinted toward us. “I think he likes you”. Ashton said to me as he unholstered his Uzi’s… “Too bad I like you more”. “Weapons free”. Ashton said to me, I stood petrified facing the horde of teeth and white eyes; I pulled the trigger as my finger twitched and shot one of the mutts in the head, it fell on its back and was trampled by the rest of the slew; we started shooting into the crowd on reaction, fresh bodies littered the street; as the last mutt leapt toward me… I shot it in the head and it dropped at my feet; the blood ran under our shoes as we walked down the street, my heart raced and my hands felt clammy; I followed Ashton through the twisting maze of streets, on the walk over I saw the ruins of the lives of here… it made me sad to see it all go to waste. We stopped at the end of street and stood in front of a wide open park space with the municipal building right in front of us; at the front doors were a crowd of looters trying to smash their way into the building. We stepped into the field, one of the lookouts signaled the crowd, they turned and looked at us; scratching their heads; they waved at us… it dawned on them that we weren’t fellow looters, they took up arms and took cover behind anything they could find; I looked at a birch tree and ran toward it, Ashton sprinted behind a park bench; I opened fire peeking out… keeping track of his movements, he got to the side of them and flanked them; dropping three of our attackers, I stepped out of cover and did a roadie run to the nearest cover… bullets from assault rifles whizzed over my head, I got hit in the thigh as I slid behind an empty supply box; I dug the bullet out with my finger and cauterized the wound with a flame from my thumb… the wound sizzled shut and I peeked from the box, I squeezed the trigger and my target dropped dead with a burning hole in her head; I signaled Ashton to regroup with me and he ran out in front of the crowd, he opened fire with his Uzi’s; by some miracle he didn’t get shot by the bullets, in fact he weaved through them like a butterfly while nailing his attackers in the head blowing them clean off; he motioned to the building, he was going to make a run for it… I got out in the cone of fire and gave him supporting fire, as he cleared out the targets in front of him; he ran up the staircase and shot the breaching unit in the back of her head with his Uzi’s. I looked behind us and saw a sniper from the end of the other street; I pulled my trigger and the bullet flew through the air; it entered through his head and tore his body in half, with that all hostiles were dead and gone; I looked at our handiwork and saw that all of our kills we turned into bloody gore pools. I took in breath of fresh air as we stood in front of the doors, we looked at each other and walked into a large hole in the steel covers; the smell of rotting flesh radiated heavily from within, Foot first into hell brave soul, stand and fight against your demons.


	5. Episode Five: Hangman

We paused at the entrance as Ashton faced me. “My mistake… this isn’t a rescue mission, it’s an extermination”. “What do you mean by that Ashton, you said--- “Elaine, what you find in there will keep you up at night, I’m going to ask you this once: Don’t hold back no matter what you see”. I walked forward and felt my legs lock up in terror, I peeked inside all I saw was darkness, it was mystifying in a sense; I took a deep breath and no longer smelled carrion, I walked in behind Ashton back to back, we circled the room with our flashlights and looked at the decomposed bodies on the ground. Ashton walked over to the wall and flipped the breaker, the lights came on; “I wish I could’ve not seen that” I said to myself stepping over a corpse, the worn and stained tiles of the bank were painted with the blood of past victims and made into the image of a peacock, I saw the center piece of the flawed ritual, a group of people were huddled together in the center of the room; but something was wrong they were turned to stone, I looked carefully and saw there were red streaks coming out of the pores of their faces and on their faces was an expression of sheer terror. Little tooth fairies ate their way out the petrified corpses, I holstered my gun and I snapped my fingers at my target; I torched the corpse in a blast of fire and heat, it turned into a scorched fragments of amber, I looked at Ashton as he took out a book of bamboo matches from his pants pocket; he struck the match head and tossed the light on a corpse at his feet; the fire burned an intense green for a moment, as it faded the flames turned the body into a pile of white ash; I cleared out the room with Ashton and when we were done we stood on piles of white ash and amber. I looked at the scorch marks that littered the floor, I exhaled my breath and inhaled, smell of burnt flesh made me sick to my stomach; I blew down the steel cover blocking the exit with a snap of my fingers and walked out the gaping hole that was the front door, I saw the gunned down bandits from earlier and gave them the same cremation as the victims inside the building behind me. I walked forward shaking inside, I took a seat on the park bench as my knees wobbled from what I’d done, I felt guilty and violated; no matter what I think, it can’t… nothing can justify that madness. I didn’t notice as Ashton took a seat next to me as I mused over my actions, “This is what you signed up for”. I heard him pierce my thoughts, I clenched my fists; “That was wrong”, I kept myself from bubbling over with rage… “I suppose you’re thinking isn’t there a better, a more humane way of doing things”. I looked at him hopefully, right now more than anything; I wanted an explanation. Ashton smiled and in an instant his expression turned sour: “Elaine… that was the humane option”. I felt a tear escape out of my eye, “No… there’s always another way”. I said desperately, I fell into his arms; “Tell me something, you’ve never killed anyone or anything besides for defending yourself… have you”? I cried harder and his embrace tightened, my arms wrapped around his back; Ashton put his arms on my shoulders and looked intensely into my eyes, “Tell me… can you stomach what happened? I hate to tell you but this is only the tip of the iceberg; Elaine… this line of work, you’ll see things that change who you are; you’ll see things that will break you, but at the end of the day can you move on? Answer me damn it”! He took a deep breath: “Tell me would you rather hurt a person or get hurt by another”? I looked at Ashton as I wiped my tears. “Can you let go of your humanity”? “This is the test, that many fail… can you let go of who you are, and get the job done”? I stopped crying, finally Cerberus stopped nagging at me; but something inside me broke… for once I felt free and content. “Yes”. “Even that means you have to stain your hands and soul”? “Yes”. “Do you accept who you are”? I became one with my demons, I have embraced my identity completely; so this is what means to be a fae, “I am a fae… nothing will change that”. I closed my eyes and saw the demon inside me, it had awoken and I had embraced it as a part of my being… the chains of morality were broken, there was no right or wrong anymore… just the instinct to survive, my guardian beast no longer a separate entity… for once I felt whole, I felt complete. I opened my eyes and a pair of burning wings of white gas manifested out of my neck; they crystalized into diamonds, I looked at Ashton and he formed eight arms of air out of his lower back, they hardened into long pearl spears; “Our guardians are a part of us… they represent our deepest fears and insecurities; once accept who we are that feeling of inadequacy goes away and we find inner peace”. “This is the manifestation of our element, the physical form of our strength”; “Now let’s see what you’re made of”. I stood up and got into my stance, I rushed forward in a blaze of white fire; I slashed down with my blade, Ashton slid aside his foot and turned to dodge my swing, I felt my back blow out from a punch to my gut; he grabbed my collar and slammed me into the ground, before tossing me into a tree and smashing all of his arms down on me, I lay flattened on the ground, “Pathetic”. A group of three ruby dragon tails blocked Ashton’s killing blow and I saw Astoria standing beside me, “Can’t we go one day without trying to kill each other”. I got to my feet and punched Ashton square in the face, he brushed aside my fist and returned the favor; Ashton snapped out his combat focus, and looked at me as his defenses reverted back into his body; my wings faded back into me and Astoria’s tail disappeared as well. Ashton was back to his happy go lucky self, “Well congratulations on your first mission”. He helped me to my feet and I looked at him, I swung a left hook and his expression hardened as dodged my fist, he stood upright and stepped forward to knee my gut: “Don’t take it personally… you’re the only one who passed my test”. He stepped back and cracked his fingers with his thumb as he walked back to our home, I stopped myself from doubling over and stood upright taking a deep breath. Astoria tugged on my arm and I saw her eyes were gleaming with awe: “Your wings were awesome”. “Nice tail, you have”. I said trying to downplay getting my ass whooped, my legs gave out and I sat on the stone walkway. Astoria sat next to me, “Rough day… huh”? “Yeah… today’s been pretty shitty”. “You know I had a heart to heart with Lex a couple days ago”. “Oh yeah, how did that go”? I asked jokingly, Astoria helped me into a nearby bench, she sat next to me and leaned into my ear: “I think I have a crush on him”.  
“You did what”! I dodged a fist of emerald, and leapt up; I landed on Nikolai’s fist and I kicked him in the head, the impact of my blow vibrated through my body and I grabbed by the torso, Nikolai repeatedly slammed me into the ground of the training room, I extended my arms into Nikolai’s stomach and they shattered on contact, “What kind of golem are you”? “I am a titan”! I was pummeled into the ground and was thrown across the room like a ragdoll, Nikolai used the earth underneath his feet and flew toward me like a rocket; I freed myself from the wall mold and rolled forward, I felt the back of my head sear from his rage as I dodged a wild straight that smashed the steel wall behind me; I wrapped my arms around his torso and smashed my knee into his torso, his armor chipped from the impact and Nikolai stepped back taking a deep breath. I took a running start and leapt forward a dropkick, I was grabbed by my feet and spun around before being slammed into the ring for the last time; he held his cleaver above my head, “I’m done”. The blade was staked into the ground an inch away from my right ear, my heart raced: so that’s the power he has, I’m lucky he’s on my side… hell we all are. I planted my fist into the ground and staggered to my feet one knee at a time, I walked out the room cracking my joints, with the kiss of defeat leaving a bitter taste in my mouth; I washed the taste with an iced coffee, Draco handed me a towel and sat down next to me: “You know what you’re doing”? I looked at Draco and smiled: “Not a clue”. “I get you’re the type of guy to take things as they come” he sighed, “We’re not human Draco; the way I see it, our humanity shouldn’t be the thing that kills us on the field”. “But we’re not on the field dumbass, we’re at home; I understand you want everyone at their peak strength… you of all people should know that strength is meaningless without discipline”. I felt my stomach turn over from his words, “That girl… Elaine… I saw her humanity burning in her eyes, just because we’re monsters doesn’t mean we have to act like it”. Draco left the room and headed back upstairs to the living room, Thane sat next to my left; “You here to nag me to”? I spat at him: “I appreciate what you did”. “Me and Ragnarok… hell even Louis, and Astoria agree with you; look at this way, you showed her how to set aside humanity and ethics to ensure survival, in my book… that isn’t a fuck up, it’s a good deed”. “Thane, can you tell me; what makes something right or wrong”. “You’re asking the wrong person, Ashton; honestly… morality isn’t cut and dry neither is life. I appreciate your choice, because you did as the situation requires. There is no good or evil, in those moments, it’s just you embracing choice you’re going to have to make for the good in the long run… You consider me evil, because of the atrocious things I’ve done; but we’ve all things we’re not proud of, but guess what we’re standing aren’t we”? “Everything no matter how insignificant has a purpose… everything is connected to a grander scheme, to make a bigger picture all of the pieces need to be in place”. “The butterfly effect”. I said, “Bingo, you’re smart enough to know that every event will lead to a greater purpose”. Thane looked at me with curiosity; “So I’ll leave it at this, choice or not… either way all things will be resolved, there is a caveat to this though, not everything may go the way you planned it… in this case we adapt and adjust… life is a series evolutionary phases, and I intend to see it through the very end”.  
Despite all the awry things of today, it was rather nice; taking my family out for dinner in the city. We sat around the table of my favorite steakhouse, Lex offered grace for our meal and I heard a gunshot outside, my life ended with a bullet to the heart. I flew out of the chair and slammed into the ground, how did the day go so wrong; I lay on the ground in a my pool of my blood, surrounded by my friends; as they realized what had happen their shock changed to sorrow, they all had tears of sadness slide down their faces, Nikolai held me in his arms; he closed my eyes, I heard Thane’s voice as placed two coins on my eyelids. Everything faded to black. Destiny, above all things shows us how vulnerable we are; despite our strength, we are still mortal and held back by emotion; I regret asking Elaine to do that; to abandon her identity, but that is the only way to survive. We all have embraced our pain in one way or another, in turn we’ve seared our consciences; to no longer hear the voice of morality is liberating, but at the same time; it’s disparaging to know that you can no longer tell between right or wrong. In our youth we seek to abandon that part of ourselves because we see it as unneeded restraints, but actually it’s a warning that clearly shows what happens when you stray from your path; morality is doing what is right regardless what you’re told, obedience is doing what you’re told whether it’s right. All men and women take orders, whether they want to or not; the harsh truth is we’re slaves to another, but we fool ourselves into these doing things under the guise of nobler things such as love, peace, or respect; to begin with I wanted a team of warriors who could let go everything when it comes down to the wire, but I know that’s impossible. No matter what may humanity do, no matter what we may do to close ourselves from the world; some emotion will always crawl back in and manifest itself inside of us. That is what I hate about being a fae, it’s also the reason I am still alive and well (correction I’m dead now). I am a man not a machine, I shouldn’t treat my friends this way; they didn’t ask to be a fae neither did I; we may not be human but humanity is something all mortals share… the ability to show compassion and mercy, to see past skepticism and cynicism; to have faith in one another and never forsake each other, ever. Where did my beliefs go, where did I lose them, where did I go wrong. I was never a religious person, nor do I think I ever will be; but right now I want to drop on my knees and beg whatever God is out there for forgiveness, I am a sinner I am not going to doubt that… but I need to change, I don’t expect a miracle… but please give me another shot at life. I felt a thump in my chest, I could breathe again and my hearing came back: I heard the anguished cries of my friends as I felt myself rocking down the halls of a clinic, the rooms of an ER swung open and I was placed into careful hands, I was carried by warm arms, set down onto a cold table I opened my eyes and Reico looked at me as I stared at him square in the eye from the operating table, he cupped his face and sighed through his fingers; we were in the operating room, and he stood speechless as I did the impossible; I was embraced by him, I felt his tears on my shoulder: “You gave us quite a scare”… he heaved out. “Please don’t do that again”, he pulled back and I saw my blood soak through his white coat; I put my hand over the wound and sighed in relief, as I didn’t find a gaping hole; I pulled out the syringe of poison in my pectoral. “You’re going to be okay, buddy”… for a brief moment I lost consciousness, I laid back down: “Excuse me… I’m going to pass out now”. Reico injected the antidote into my body, and saved me from dying twice in the same night, I heard sighs of relief as I faded back into sleep. I drew what would’ve been my last breath, if it weren’t for the miracle of resuscitation; my consciousness drifted off. I was back in the memorial with all my friends, I looked at the ceiling from the hardwood floor; “Jesus Christ… Ashton you okay”. Lex said to me as he helped me to my feet he wore a pair of boxer shorts and red sports jersey, Reico looked at me from the counter; still dressed in his clothes from the clinic; “Yeah”, I felt my chest ache from the impact of the .50 caliber, “Fuck that hurts”. I was put in an easy chair and I looked at the patched up hole in the wall... Ragnarok, stood in front of me with a beer in his hand, he was dressed in a thin black sweater and loose black jeans; he sat down the chair in front of me: “I didn’t come back to see you die”, he playfully punched me in the shoulder; “you’re one lucky bastard”, Nikolai said with a hearty laugh; he said from the bar counter, he walked up to us and smiled at me: “I’m sorry for earlier… I’d just lost it for a minute”. He said looking away from me, “Yeah me too, we’re cool”? “Ashton, I’m happy we didn’t lose you… but please don’t do that again”. He said sternly, Reico changed back into a pressed white suit and opened the door; the rest of my dysfunctional came in the room; but something felt wrong, seeing my friends after almost dying I should’ve been happy… I sensed the pall that hung over the room, it wasn’t a gathering for our reunion… this was a ceremony for my departure. Reico broke the news: “I’m afraid inform you, that our dearest friend can no longer go back to the world of the living anymore”. Reico looked at me with a friendly smile, “At least for the moment… he needs to rest, unfortunately he’ll only be dead for just a week and I’ll send him back home”. Reico closed off the space between us and them: “You’re friends had an interesting way of convincing of me to send you back”. “Trial by combat”? “They have to beat me in a one on one duel, while fighting at their peak, whichever party has the most wins is the victor ”. “You’re going to kill them”. I protested, “But on the contrary… I’ve been longing to let everything loose”. “You’re going to be our spectator, I hope you enjoy the show… I intend to play for keeps, you’re far too valuable to lose, and when this is over I will make you mine”. “My family, I have faith they’ll beat you”. Reico looked at them: “Let’s put that to the test… and Ashton, feel free to jump in at any time”.  
I looked at the perch where Ashton was sitting on and saw the scoreboard, the opposite gate opened and I faced Death, I wondered what kind of man he was; I drew my sword and held it one handed, “That guy up there, he gives me my paycheck and not to mention… I actually like my employer, so would you kindly give him back”? Death raised an eyebrow before touching the ground with his scythe blade; “Well shit”, I dodged a horizontal swing and landed on the shaft of his blade; I ran forward and I slashed downward, he caught my sword in his palm: “Well this awkward, where are my manners: I’m Reico”. “Louis, nice to meet you; er… can you let go of my sword”? “It’s a masterpiece, I’m simply admiring it; like my scythe”? “Very pretty, well balanced; you build it yourself”? “Of course”. I jumped backward to dodge a vertical slam, I formed Hades out from my left shoulder blade as drill of purple flames; I rushed forward and my arm hardened into amethyst as I slammed my fist into the ground, I crushed Reico underneath my palm and drove him into the ground, I self-destructed my construct on top of him turning him into a pincushion; he looked at me from the ground, and frowned; “Fool”. I was held in place for a moment, like I was swimming through molasses; Reico slowly got to his feet and looked at me with pity, he snapped fingers and I saw was suspended in the air by a crystal bird cage, the base of the cage was lined with bloodied spikes; I looked and saw that I was caught in a web of barbed wire, I looked up and saw that the top was lined with bloodied spikes as well, “For an illustrious bounty hunter, you disappoint me”. He made swatting gesture with his right hand, I grit my teeth as the cage sandwiched me between its teeth; the construct faded on impact and I was face down in the dirt floor with multiple puncture wounds, I staggered up and saw Reico’s guardian for what it really was, he grew a single large tail of sapphire from his tailbone, he cracked his neck before stabbing me through the heart and tossing me into the air I was smashed back down into the arena floor by his tail as he leapt above me. “And the coup de grace”! He shouted triumphantly, I placed my hands on my chest and muttered my incantation, “My trump card… the gate of hades… I must really down on my luck, if I have to use this”. I pressed my collarbone and watched as the gate formed in front of Reico, “What the he— Sounds of agony ruptured through the air as the gate opened, I extended my arm forward and it came out the gate as an ethereal version of itself, I closed my hand around his body dragged him through ripping his soul of his body. I saw him rip apart as the madness inside the gate consumed him, leaving him desolate as the void within. I closed the gate and Reico fell to the ground as charred skeleton, I rolled out of the way and watched as his bones shattered into obsidian as they crashed into the ground; I staggered up with my wounds sealed and sheathed held my sword, groggily swaying from the worn off adrenaline I planted my feet firmly into the ground. Reico reformed himself and looked at me with quaint curiosity, he moved in a blur and held his scythe above my head, “Game over”, he pulled down and cleaved me in two or at least he tried to, I disarmed him with a flare of purple fire; his scythe impaled itself into the wall behind him, I stepped forward and kneed him in the gut; he spat out black inky blood, he doubled over and I leaned into him, “Shut up… you’re annoying”. I whispered into his ear, I spun around and placed him on my back, I threw him over my shoulder and slammed him back first into the ground; hair thin threads bound him to the floor: “I don’t care if you’re immortal, so to be fair I’m going to half kill you as a courtesy”. I stomped on his face, and he screamed in pain; “Don’t worry… I’ll make it quick… ninety eight more bones to go”. “This is the shoulder blade”, Crack, crack, crack… to put it shortly I gave him a crash course in human anatomy before I broke half of his body. I kneeled next to him as he groaned in pain, “This is a civilized dueling ground, not a slaughterhouse; so consider yourself lucky that I stopped when I did Reaper”. Reico took a deep breath and his wounds were healed, he stood up and walked up to his scythe, pulling it out of the wall; he tapped the ground and took his stance, he swept the blade at my feet and I leapt up; I spun toward him and tornado kicked his head; before spinning in the air and slashing downward with my sword cleaving him in two, “Well that’s disgusting”, I stood on his gut as the top portion of his torso turned into gaping maw lined with teeth, I quickly shot my arm into the maw, in an instant opened my fist and let out cluster white flares, before I leapt backward as the mouth closed shut with snap, I put my shield in front of me as I watched his body convulse from within, the top half of Reico exploded from the concussive blasts I put inside of him; black sprayed everywhere as the lower half fell on its knees and hit the ground with a splat, bits of blood and gore stained my armor as I took a deep breath and braced myself for what was to come. I pulled out my China Lake and took aim, I blew up what was left of his corpse; I pulled on the pump and cycled in a new round; the black aggregated into a slimy mass and he reformed in front of me as a twenty- five foot tall skeleton, he smashed his fist into me; I stepped back barely escape the force of his punch, I climbed his hand and ran up his arm, I dodged a swat; I continued running upward to his face, once on his shoulder I sprinted toward the base of his neck and slashed away, until I decapitated him; I stabbed my sword into the base of his throat and braced myself for the ride down; he fell off balance, and timbered like a tree… The sad thing was this isn’t a contest against Death alone, it was contest between our team and his, I could only shudder at the strength of his companions; funny thing is in terms of strength compared to the rest of his party, he was the bottom rung on the ladder.   
Reico crashed into the arena with a loud thud, I looked up and saw them standing behind the other gate; various expressions of dismay at the slewing of their comrade; they gave me an ovation for my feat… “No, not them… anyone but them, shit; to clarify Reico is a member of team sigma, a worldwide terror agent hell bent on poisoning the world with fear and killing it a like disease. My friends and I, must be down our luck to be facing off against these fuckers, after they’re trained killers… far out of our league, I don’t expect any of us to survive against them”. I looked at Ashton, at he stared at me with a lugubrious expression, we were thinking the same thing, all of us are going to die here.  
I closed my eyes and when I opened them; I found myself sitting in a wood chair, in the middle of dance studio. Feeling the painkiller wear off, I stood up from the chair and faced a pale skinned woman; in her early twenties, she was dressed in a nude velvet nightgown; she had lush pink hair, and eyes that looked like the rainwater, walking toward me she smiled and bared her fangs; they dripped with crimson as she took a bite of the apple she was holding; I watched as the apple faded to grey and withered into dust… she looked at me with a hungry curiosity: “I wonder what you taste like”? “Forgive my manners but I haven’t eaten yet, and you look really tasty… now I’m going gently scramble up your insides”. I felt her hand stab through my gut and tug at my intestines, she bit my throat and staggered back with her eyes rolling back, she doubled over screaming in ecstasy; “Damn you’re delicious”. My wounds healed and I looked at her, I snapped my fingers, I closed the gap between us in a burst of wind, I punched her in the face and slammed her head into the ground driving her a few inches into the marble floors; I lifted her by the head and smashed the imprint again. lifted her and kicked her across the room, I watched as her feet touched the opposite wall and she rebounded her step to land safely; she leapt toward me in a triple axel, finishing in axe kick; I stepped back and thrust my arm forward to grab her head as she landed. “Now I call a do over”, I let go of her head and sat down next to her, as she sat crisscross on the tiling she took off the nightgown leaving only her black laced lingerie. “I’m Ashton, what’s your name”? “I’m Clare”; she tackled me to the ground and pecked at my throat with a kiss, “Grrr”. She said looking into my eyes, in an odd psychotic sort of way she was cute; she leaned closer and whispered into my ear: “Why do good people die”? “In a garden which flowers do you pick” I asked back, “The beautiful ones”; she said letting go of my wrists, she got off my stomach and sat down next to me; I sat up and looked at her, this woman is the leader of team Sigma; she looked at me intently, at a loss of words she laid on her back and looked at domed ceiling above her; “Don’t take my silence in the wrong way, I was never good with introductions; hell I’m just not a people person”. “It’s alright”, I said lying down next to her; I looked up at the ceiling and saw a painting of God imparting His wisdom to mankind, “He might not be the strongest in my group, he’s pulled us out of more jams than I can count; that man is lifesaver”. Clare said to me admiring the work on the ceiling, “He’s also my drinking buddy”; I told Clare, as I unhooked a flask of whiskey from my waist… I took a sip and handed her the bottle; she took a swig and sighed, “Aren’t you going to find those responsible for killing you”. She handed back the bottle, I wiped off its rim before capping it; “Eventually, but not now; I don't want to rush into a readymade grave”. “What’s like being alive”? She asked me halfheartedly twirling her hair, “It’s more stressful than it ought to be, but I manage”. Clare leaned in close, “Do you have anyone you love”? I thought about it and saw Elaine’s face pop in my mind; “There is one person”. “Tell me do you”? I turned my head and saw her blush, she smiled; “No not yet”. She sighed, I looked closely at the painting on the ceiling and slowly drifted away into sleep. I recreated the moment of my assassination in my dreams and walked around the room, I saw five circular granite tables on each side of the restaurant, with a rippled base and a smooth surface all topped off with a clean white tablecloth. “It was a beautiful place; it always has been”. The chandelier hung above the main room which was supported by four arched columns, I walked on the stone floors as I looked at the third left window side table where I always sat alone before meeting my friends, I took a seat in the chair and looked out into the evening skyline, after every mission I’d come here as soon as possible for three porterhouse steaks cooked medium-well with a side of steamed vegetables. Going down a couple steps, I walked into the main table area, it was spacious area fenced in by three walls of rune engraved glass walls. In the center there was the largest table in the restaurant, able enough to sit a family of ten; it was flanked by nine other small tables like those on the sides of the establishment, I examined what happened yesterday, I was sitting at the top of circle facing Ragnarok, and behind was an open kitchen where customers could view their meals being cooked. I walked up to the chair and sat down I looked toward the right, scrutinizing the thick tinted windows with my eyes, I looked forward and saw a large bullet hole; 25.4mm shell of titanium hiding a tungsten 12.7mm round, break down the glass doors that lead into the restaurant. The additional jacket left a six foot wide hole in the wall the, I watched as the bullet tore through me and send me flying out of the chair, I landed on the ground as the waiter walked out the kitchen and she dropped a hot plate of food on my face in panic. Elaine, ran toward me screaming; and the others followed, stricken by shock and grief… we might not all get along at times, but I’m sure now more than ever; that we do love each other. I opened my eyes and felt the sear of hot metal on my face, I was startled awake back in the perch of the arena; I saw Clare leaning over the rampart and shouting for her team to win; I scrambled up to my feet and looked over, I saw Ragnarok fighting a Diadect; she was blond haired woman, she leapt around the battlefield like a hare, effortlessly dodging Ragnarok who was like a crazed bull. “You’re awake, the second match just began its already marvelous looking at those two go at each other”. She looked at me, “We’ll have our fun soon, for let’s enjoy the show”. “My ace in the hole, Laura Castro”. She said proudly, “Laura's going to give a hell of a run for his money” I said back, “That’s my brother… Ragnarok, the demon king”. “You’ve got a good team behind you, but anyone that has crossed Sigma; will meet the same fate… a one way ticket to hell”.  
“Judgment awaits you”. I heard a voice from the opposite end of the ring; I cracked my fingers with my thumb and looked at my opponent, she was dressed in a flowing blue tunic with the hem decorated by billowing clouds; underneath she wore a white button down shirt which exposed her collar, and charcoal grey trousers with a faded chain link watermark design; we walked toward the center of the battlefield and looked at each other; she stood at a diminutive five feet, She stuck out her tongue and gave me a thumbs down, as she walked toward me; I found it kind of adorable seeing her walk toward me like a toy solider, “Eh… You’re the Diadect”? “Yeah so what”? She shot back, “Tough definitely does not suit you”, I said looking her in the eyes; her irises were a chestnut color and flaring with life, I took the mantis stance and took a deep breath. She bawled her right fist and held it front of her, interesting… a holy knight, “By all means make the first move”; I said, she shot toward me in a blur and in an instant, I doubled over from her fist slamming into my gut. I moaned in pain, “You’re so dramatic… get back up so I can kick your ass”. “It’s worth a shot”. I got back on my feet and I saw her right in front of me; about to bash in my brains with her bare hand, “Let me return the favor”. I caught her punch and slammed my fist into her face, decking her into the ground; I lifted my leg above my head and slammed down on the base of her neck, I heard a crack; “Uh-oh, did I kill you”? She stood back up and dusted herself; popping her neck back into place she drew a spear, I formed ten centipede legs of ruby from my lower back; “I don’t want the blood of a child on my hands”. “I’m fifteen years old”, she stepped forward and thrust her spear; I stepped back and watched as it morphed into a broadsword, she swung in a circle and I caught the blade, with my hand; I struck her down with one of my legs, squashing her like a bug; I pulled back my leg and thrust all ten of them into her back, and stabbed away.

Squish, squish, squish. I scrambled up her insides, and lifted her up in the air; before my legs shot up and skewered her torso, I tossed her into the wall in front of me and saw her slam into the iron gate of her waiting room. She stood up, I watched as her wounds healed; her manifestation took form as a single wing of white feathers; she formed a second wing of black feathers from left shoulder, she picked up her sword and rushed forward in a burst of speed, standing right in front of me, she stuck out two fingers; as she touched my chest I was sent flying backward, I staked my tails into the ground and stabbed away, she dodged each attack and got through my defenses; she slashed away with her sword, but little did she know that our guardians could manifest themselves out of different places in our bodies, case in point; I retracted my legs and leapt up, to dodge her downward swing; it blew a crater into the ground, I formed a single tail and spun in the air as it reached its full length of ten feet, I slammed down and she caught my tail with her off hand, she kept my appendage at an arm’s length, she pulled down and sent me flying toward her; as I got close, I let my tail dissolve and dropkicked her in the head; I landed on the ground; I heard a moan behind me, then the sounds of joints cracking; she stood back up and rushed forward, with a single punch aimed at my stomach; I heard her fist crack from hitting my abdominal, I drew my sword and took my stance. I held the sword in front of me, a lifted it upward to block an overhead swing; closing my eyes I let myself flow like water instinctively matching her blows with mine, my Kusanagi became an extension of my arm; I disarmed her blade with a single downward stroke of my sword, I took a deep breath and sheathed my sword. I turned my back and walked toward the waiting room; I turned my body sideways and grabbed her steel arrow in mid-flight; I threw it back to her, it flew past her left cheek grazing the flesh and staking into the wall behind her. She clapped her hands, as she retrieved her arrow; placing it back in the quill, she walked toward her gate and the match ended in a draw… the odd thing is, I think we both knew that this would be the outcome; I looked at the score board and saw that it was now two to one, the gate opened and was back in the lobby; “By the way congratulations on your match”. I looked at Elaine coming from top of the staircase, as she walked past me, I glanced in her eyes the look of murder in eyes was unmistakable… “Hey”. She stopped and looked at me, “Don’t do anything you’re going to regret… You’re still have your humanity, don’t put that on the line… I don’t condone what Ashton did, it was wrong; but you know it just as well he does, that gentleness is a luxury few can afford”. I continued my way, “Ragnarok”; I looked at her and saw the hope back in her eyes, “I can take care of myself and besides… if there is one thing I need to drill into that skull of his: gentleness is the ultimate strength”. “Is that so”? I smirked, “Then the best of luck to you”. “When you make it back, I’ll teach you to become stronger”; “I’ll hold you to that”. I said walking forward, I stepped out into the arena and stared down a nine foot tall Minotaur Cleric… I heard the voices of my friends behind; out of all of them, I discerned Ashton’s: “Kick his ass, Elaine”! I cracked my knuckles, he put his arm forward in a friendly gesture; “May the best fae win”. “Likewise”, I fist bumped his thick hand. He smiled and took a few steps back, he dragged his hoof in the ground and snorted like a bull. His muscles bulged to the point of bursting, and the ground itself shook in terror… I took deep breath and drew Ustanak, I held the broadsword in my right hand and placed my kite shield on my left arm; for a moment I held my breath and stared down that wall of flesh. Yeah this is fair, a woman vs. a physical tank.  
I felt the ground rumble, as I saw the Minotaur rush me with a mace; once within arm’s reach I bashed his face with my shield and veered him to the left, I got under him; as stabbed him through the gut my sword blazed to life searing his insides, I pierced through his back and cut his spine in half. He leaned over me; blood dripped out of his mouth and onto my shoulder, “It’s been while since I fought someone, so forgive me if I’m a little rusty”; he dropped his mace, clang; the spiked head implanted itself into the ground, “I’m Connor Deus, nice to meet you”. “Elaine Alighieri”; I pulled out my sword and stepped back, letting him fall on his cooked intestines. He stood up and stuffed himself, the wound closed and I heard a deep sigh; I put away my sword and shield; placing them on the ground, I protective fingerless gloves on my hands. “You’re no Perseus”. He laughed putting up his fists, I held my arms in front of me with open palms; I collected myself and stepped out of the way to dodge his fist, I punched him in the stomach and pounded away at his torso leaving burn marks on his fur; Conner swatted me away with a swing of his arm, I braced my arms in front to block a heavy fist; “That’s better”, I leapt up and was intercepted by his uppercut, he slammed me into the ground and I rolled out of the way to dodge a stomp, I kicked his calf and leapt up for a tornado kick to his head; both of my feet connected, I spun in the air and went for the axe kick. Connor blocked my foot and grabbed me by the ankle, I was smashed into the dirt face first; once, twice. Grabbing me by arms and legs he broke my back on his knee, I was tossed into the air and grabbed again this my back breaking mine against his. Locked in a bear hug, Connor threw his upper body into a suplex; as my head hit the ground I felt my brain slush around from the impact. With a hammer throw I flew across the arena and smashed into a wall, as my wounds healed I stood up and saw Connor trying to gore me; he charged down and I planted my feet, I grabbed his horns and twisted his head driving him into the ground; I placed my feet on his neck, broke off his horns and stabbed them through his back, he howled in pain; I pulled out the makeshift daggers and drove them back into his skull piercing through his eyes, Connor scrambled up screaming like a madman; I grabbed onto the stubs of his horns as bucked around on all fours, “Yip kay a motherfucker”! I flipped over his head and smashed my knee into face; I landed on the ground first, pulling his head down I smashed my knee into his lower jaw; I swung him around and lifted him up, I spiraled upward in a jet of flame and punched his sternum; I wrapped my arms his waist, spinning in the air we locked ourselves in a piledriver. Five feet away from the ground I threw him down face first and dropped on his back like a missile; on contact, I let an explosion roar out of my feet; the flames focused downward and with a large blast I incinerated him into ash; the ashes faded away in streams of energy, it reformed behind me; I saw a man in a business suit; I saw him tilt his fedora and lift up his glasses, he held a spas-12 with a narrow choke and aimed it at the back of my head; “Checkmate”. I turned and rolled out of the way to dodge the pellets; I snapped my fingers looking at the ground in front of him, the oxygen combusted and I sent him flying back; he aimed again sitting up and took a potshot scrambling to his feet, I drew my Tinderbox and aimed it at his head; I pulled the trigger and burst of seven rounds hit him in the chest, he returned two quick shots and I had my knees blown out. Connor walked up to me, he dropped the bulletproof vest and placed the barrel square to my face. “It’s just business”. He squeezed the trigger and I heard a click, “You’re lucky I’m a medic… normally I keep the extra round chambered, but today’s special”. Connor picked up legs and walked back over to me, he laid me on my back and attached my legs back to my body; “There we go, good as new”. I sat up and he smiled at me, “Don’t take what you have for granted”, he leaned forward and helped me up; I lifted his right arm; Connor looked at me raising his eyebrow, “It’s your win, take it”. “You don’t have to do this”, “A dragon never swallows her pride, I’m just being grateful”. Connor nodded his head, and we looked at the score board: we’re tied 2 to 2. I was hugged by Ashton in the waiting room, and was greeted by happy faces; Thane patted me on the back, he pulled out his sniper rifle and locked in the barrel; “Wish me luck”. He walked out the lobby; I saw a cup of half-drunk black coffee on the table next to an open bible, I picked up the book and saw Revelation 21:4. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”, “The demented psycho is just a front”; I looked at Ragnarok in surprise, “I’d never would have guess”; “Neither did any of us; as each of us goes out to fight he prays for a safe return”. Astoria told me, “I knew he wasn’t all evil”. Draco wiped a tear from his face, his skin turned to ash grey; “We did horrible things before, he was just smart enough to atone for sins before I did; my only hope in despair, he was my guardian angel, and I was his”. “The fallen saint”. Nolan spoke up, “He’s turned a new leaf, as I have I when we joined you”. I sat next to Draco and placed my hand on his face, he smiled at me; I embraced him; “We don’t judge anyone for what they may have done… we judge people by who they are”. I said to Draco, “For many of us… this is the closest thing we get to a second chance, a new life… I don’t care about what evil your hands have done; you’re a different person now, so choose better and walk toward it”. “Thank you”. I scooted over a few seats and leaned back in the loveseat with Ashton, a yawn escaped my mouth and slowly drifted off into sleep; I laid down on his lap, so soft… so warm; this is my family, how odd fate can be… I never felt I belonged anywhere, always stigmatized for what I was, but now I feel whole for the first time in my life, I can say that I’m happy; all felt right.  
“So this is what it means to be loved, for once I found a home”. I said to myself, “For once I don’t feel like a monster… I feel accepted”. I smiled at thought of my new family. I stepped out in the arena and faced a woman dressed in a cloak red as blood; she looked at me with a pleasant smile… underneath her hood I saw in her deep scarlet eyes, a longing for home now realized by her comrades. “You and I are alike”. She said, she drew a dusty red circle around her with her foot; she unsheathed a ritual knife and looked to the sky; her mouth opened and she screamed like a banshee, as she stabbed herself in the gut. The circle lit up and from her body flowed unholy energy; looking at me with black eyes full of malice, she moved in a flash of red and started slicing away. “Slice, Slice, Slice”! She screamed, I stepped back from each swing; I grabbed my sniper by the tripod and swung it into the side of her head, I leaned forward and blew out a jet of black fire; she writhed and laughed at her agony, if it was possible the pain I gave her, made her attack quicker and with even more ferocity than before; I rolled out the way and aimed my rifle steadying it on my arm; I took a shot and the round pierced through her skull, for a moment it all fell quiet as her head tilted back from the impact; she moved her knife to her head and dug out the bullet, the wound seethed with red as it closed. “Tsk, tsk… You’re a naughty little shit aren’t you”? She teleported in front of me and disemboweled me, as she got behind me, she held me up and stabbed my back; “Now you’re full of holes”. She laughed like a maniac, “Compared to me what are you”? I asked as I had my organs sliced to ribbons inside me, “Shouldn’t you be more focused on not dying” she answered back, “Seal release level one”. I grabbed her wrist and snapped it in my hand, I turned and looked at the marvel in her eyes; “All life has started from nothing, so what gives it meaning”? “For me, I live to see the world suffer for its sins”. “You live for agony, the pain you’ve wrought is equal to what was inflicted on you”. “You’re special”. I tossed her into the wall behind me, and manifested Quetzalcoatl; “You thrive on pain, so let’s see tough you are”! I formed six wings of red lightning on my back, I rushed forward and was flung backward by a hand made from blood, “I am Nicole the Reaver, and you are dead meat”. I flexed the wings in front of me, they were cut in half by her hand and I saw her face, white with rage; the red in her eyes was gone, all that was left was a primal instinct to kill. Two longs shot out of her back and she pummeled me into the ground, “DIE”! Nicole stabbed through my gut and pulled out my intestines, she jumped up and swung me around, I was tossed to the ground and I looked up, “Seal release level nine”. Resorting to my trump card already, man I’m rusty”. Now one of two things will happen, one I could erase everything that ever was. Or two I could combine all of my energy into last ditch shot. Please God let it be the latter. I stood up and stared into the sky, I reached for my back and drew a sword, I hadn’t used in over fifty odd years; I pointed the gleaming blade skyward and focused all of my strength into the tip of the sword, the sky turned black and red shot of out the sky like angry tears; “I pray forgiveness, have mercy on my soul”. I slashed down my blade on Nicole’s shoulder as she was about to pierce my heart, I brought to her knees and we were both struck by a bolt red lightning; the arena was engulfed in noxious smoke, when it cleared; I found that the ground was scorched to into brimstone, and a hand was sticking out of my chest; Nicole had won, “I’m reckless not suicidal”. She smiled and laid me on my back, “You’re good… but you could’ve killed me any time back there, why didn’t you”? I coughed out black blood, “I’m not that kind of person anymore; I hate spilling needless blood; I hate taking needless life”. She jammed my heart back in my chest and sealed the wound, she sat next to me “You are strong… might I ask what your name is”. “Thane Ripley”. “Nicole Grace”. She answered back, I looked at the scoreboard, 2 to 3; damn, the games master appeared as a wisp of green spirits; “Matches shall continue tomorrow, this marks the end of first day”! Nicole leaned in and kissed me on the lips, she ran away laughing back to her side of the arena, I stood up and saw a woman dressed in red, she walked out from her waiting room; “All contestants, congratulations on your battles thus far; meet us in the lower hall for a night feasting and celebrations”! “We’ll see you then”. Nicole said to me as she ran back into her gate, as she turned to wave, this time I saw something more humane and beautiful in her eyes: admiration, no it was love.   
I walked back into the waiting room; as a frame of reference it was a high ceiling circular room with checkerboard tiling, and decorated with modern minimalist furniture; I took a seat on the recliner getting a bottle of vodka; I drained half of the bottle and set it on the table besides the chair. “Definitely not what I had in mind for a first date”.


	6. Episode Six: What the heart wants

I got off the recliner and walked out of the empty waiting room, I took a right down the hallway and made my way toward the guest quarters. I stepped in my room and closed the door behind me, “Another admirer I see, you’re making me jealous”. I looked at Draco standing in the doorway, he dressed in a scarlet button down tunic and velvet loose pants; he took off his pink lace flats and stepped forward. Seeing the real him in the longest time I felt happier than I had in days, his olive skin showed once more, still pure and beautiful, his eyes became that shade of sickly green that I absolutely loved; he tussled his dirty blond hair and sat down me on the bedside, he stared at me for my answer. “You’re the only one for me”; “You’re a real heartache”. Draco leaned in and pecked at my neck, I gently pushed him back; “Can we save the sex for later… right now, having you here is enough”. “And always the charmer”, he winked at me; “Out of the all the partners I’ve had, you’ve the only one willing to stick with me, why”? I looked at Draco and cracked a grin, “You’re a lovable dipshit, that’s why”. He leaned me into me and pushed us on the bed, “Can’t I have just a taste of desert; I’ve been craving you for a while now”. I looked into his face, “Just a taste”; I leaned in and kissed him, I put my head back on the pillow and smiled. It was fair to say, my taste in relationships; was a little on the odd side, never in my years; would I have thought that a man would be a better fit for me than a woman; yes, I prefer the company of men; but I don’t know why, in this day and age; it’s not an uncommon sight, but all I know is I do love him; he wasn’t an object for my lust, he is my significant other and I wouldn’t prefer it any other way. With one last act of foreplay Draco rolled over and laid next to me; we looked at the blank ceiling, “Do you remember our lives before of all of this”? “I prefer to forget what I was”. “Don’t you”? “No… the part of you that you hate so much, is etched into your being”. “I care for you, probably more than anyone I’ve fallen in love with”. “You’re the only crazy enough to stick with me, so thanks”; “Umm”. I looked at the doorway and saw Lex walk past dressed in a black blazer, a blue silk button down shirt; he leaned over to straighten his khakis, he looked at us again and smiled; “You two lovebirds get ready dinners in an hour”. I got up and walked after him, I put my hand on his shoulder; “It’s not my business who you love, but for what it may be worth look after the person you cherish… I learned that the hard way”. He turned and I saw a tear well up in his eye, he wiped his eye after putting a hand on my shoulder; “Look after the ones care about”. Lex walked down the hallway with his hand above his head, he made a thumbs up and walked back to the living room; I looked at Draco unsure of what to say, “So he isn’t a total asshole”. He chuckled leaning against the bedpost, “Oh well, shall we prepare for the evening”. I asked walking back into the room; Draco took me by the hand and pulled me into the walk in closet the size of a small library, “I’ll pick the outfits this time; if you don’t mind”. “My parties differ from yours, and I clearly remember last time: “Oh this combat suit is lovely, I wouldn’t mind bathing it with blood”. “A story to share at another time”. “You’re no fun”. “To be clear a massacre isn’t a party... though it’s just as entertaining”. Draco picked out a black suit jacket for me, handing me the pair of charcoal colored pants; he walked over to the side and picked a violet silk shirt, “No tie”? “It doesn’t suit you, besides it wouldn’t do that chiseled collar of yours any justice”. I walked out of the closet and shut the doors; I changed out the of blood stained clothes from earlier, she really did a number on me; I looked out the window of the room and saw the aftereffects of my seal release; I looked at the grounds outside of the estate, and saw that it turned to brimstone, still smoking and seething with rage. I looked forward, the moon shined a blood red tonight, the red hue made me feel empty inside. “Calm down, what’s done is done”. I turned and saw Draco, he was dressed in ruffled white shirt, pink floral tie and peach colored pants; he wore a greenish-blue vest and put a gold tie around his neck, despite the contrast; it looked nice; he put a black rose corsage in the vest pocket, “So how do I look”? He asked putting a pair of brown dress shoes, “Wonderful”.  
“Screw formal wear”, I’m wearing my duster and jeans; “You mean the one that a .50 cal. Sniper round pierced through”. Elaine said putting on a pair of silver earrings I took off my duster; she walked around the room naked until she stopped right in front of me; a saw giant hole in the back; “Ok, you’ve got a point”, she leaned in and kissed my cheek; “I’m hungry, and I don’t think a buffet is going to cut it”, she pushed me into bed and leaned on my bare chest, “Ever since I’ve met you, I think I’ve fallen in love with you; I don’t know why”. She laid down next to me, I blushed; “I haven’t told this to anyone but I’m still a virgin”. Elaine laughed, “With a package like yours I would’ve thought any sane woman would have been eager to fuck with you”, she leaned in close. “I know I am… a girl can’t survive on own her pleasure, it can only go so far”. “To be honest, with all the shit in my life; I’ve never had time for stuff like this, I’ve never felt the need to be with a woman, I saw love to be something pointless”. She breathed into me, “A succubus is a sex icon; our lust is our power, since my last time almost five years ago, I’ve been afraid to fulfill this side of me. I’ve taken the souls, the essence of truly wonderful people, every time was the same; they all died… I don’t want to do the same to you… I haven’t forgiven you for lying to me, but I haven’t thanked you yet either”. “For what”? “For helping me forgive myself”. She leaned in and brushed her lips against mine, Elaine pulled back sitting on my stomach: “Ashton Queen… will you be mine, and mine alone”. “You’re not giving me much of choice are you”? She pressed her hands into my chest, “The first man”. She started, “The first woman I will love”. I finished; “Let see where us goes”. She said playfully.  
I punched at the heavyweight bag, my fist tore through the rough leather jacket; sand started to seep out and sting my raw hand, “You look like you want to kill someone”. I turned and saw Nolan, “I don’t want to hear your shit right now, considering what’s at stake”; “Stop slaughtering the heavyweight bags; give me a try”. I lashed out in a wide haymaker, Nolan ducked under my fist; I kept up the pressure with a series of jabs, he brushed aside my punches and stepped forward, with a single punch I was kneeling on the ground barely containing my pain. “What happened to all that macho shit, don’t tell me my punch took all the fight out of you”? I straightened up; Nolan ran forward, he leapt and grabbed the back of my head, smashing his knee into my face; landing on the ground he tossed me over his shoulder and slammed me back first into the concrete floor, just as he was about to axe kick my face; I grabbed his heel and twisted his leg, snap; “I’m feel that one in the morning”. Nolan said sarcastically, “You really are pathetic… by the way thanks for volunteering to be my platform”. His leg straightened out as he positioned himself right above my torso; he slammed his leg downward like a guillotine and smashed my sternum in half, I felt my rib cage split open. My arms fell limp and Nolan stepped off me, he exhaled through his nostrils and helped me up; “you’re getting sloppy”. I straightened my arm into a punch, Nolan grabbed my fist; “Should we go through that again”, he asked baring his fangs; “Next time I won’t be so merciful”. Nolan let go of my hand, “I’m done”. I stood up, I felt his hand on my shoulder; the ground crackled beneath me, I grabbed his wrist and hammer threw him into the wall in front of us, I walked out of the training room, and back to our quarters; I need some peace and quiet.  
I found myself sitting with Nikolai at the bar counter in the lobby. I stared blankly at my cup of orange juice, we stared at the mural in front of us; a group of friends gathered around the table for a match of cards, smiling and laughing like there wasn’t a care in the world. “Nikolai, could we ever be like that”? He took a sip from his lager studying the mural, he stayed quiet when he came to the answer: “Can we even call ourselves friends”? “I really don’t know anymore; you know when I was brought on board I was so happy, I finally thought I found a home; a place where I belong, now I feel lonelier than ever… I’ve always been treated as an outsider, for once I just wanted to be loved and accepted, is that too much ask for”? I asked staring at Nikolai, the tears started to well up in my eyes; “No, not at all; but life doesn’t give us what we want, rather what we need… I’d never would’ve thought I end up with you or the others”. “Is that bad”, I wiped the tears from my eyes; “No, I found what I was looking for”. “What’s that”? “I found something I can love and not hate myself for it, I live like a vagabond because to many times, I’ve backed wrong cause and reaped so much suffering”. I wrapped my arms around Nikolai, “You never felt like you were worth it, did you”? “I hate myself, but since I joined I learned to forgive myself for what I’ve done”.  
We stepped into the training room; it was large open warehouse: “You know how to fight with a sword”? I looked at Louis as he started to swing his sword in front of him; with two clean side swings and a helm breaker, he tossed me his sword, “I’m a little rusty”. I steadied the blade in my hands and took a wide stance with my feet; “Interesting form, show me what it can do”. I spun into a hurricane, then I slashed down and finished with a thrust. I handed the blade back to him, “It’s more awkward for me than fighting up close, whenever I fight with a sword; I could never hit a damn thing without cutting myself”. “I see, you do know there is a large gash on your chest”? The wound healed as I breathed, “Get me the first aid kit”. We heard from the other end of the room. We looked and saw something awfully like Nolan squashed into the back most wall; “Oh shit, Lex let’s help him”. “He’s an asshole, he deserved it”. “You’d leave him like that”. We heard him moan in pain, “Fine let’s help the bastard”, we pulled Nolan out of the wall and helped him to his feet; we applied the bandages to his body, “Thanks”, he repositioned his neck, “Jeez poke at the vulnerable bits, and he lashes out like pit viper… oh well revenge is a dish best served cold”. He looked at us and walked out of the room, waving his hand, we heard a few steps echo, a door opened and shut; the world fell silent for a moment and Nolan appeared back here with Ragnarok held by the collar of his sweater. He was pounded into a bloody pulp, he cracked his knuckles: “Remember when I told you this was tough love, I meant it down to the last letter”. “Gentlemen, if you would kindly step out for a moment”. We walked out in the hallway and listened from behind the safety of the steel doors, all hell broke loose inside; a minute past and Nolan walked out covered in blood, he dragged Ragnarok back to their room; “I’ll fix him up don’t worry”.  
“Such strange bedfellows”. Nikolai said braiding my hair, “Yeah… but let’s try to get along with them, eh”? “We’ll be lucky if we go a day without blood”. I polished Nikolai’s iron boots and put a butterfly shaped clip in my hair to keep the braid in place, Nikolai wore an orange tunic and loose pants; he slipped on his boots, and helped me into a lace dress; “How long have we known each other”. He asked lifting me on his shoulders, “Ever since walking into the asylum, you’ve taken care of me; you’re more like father to me than anything else”. I placed my arms around his neck, “Let’s enjoy the night shall we”.  
“You don’t mind banging a sex demon”? “I’ll love you either way”. For the first time I didn’t feel guilty for who I was, I felt like a woman again; Ashton fulfilled this side of me, for once I truly felt whole. I ran my finger on his bare chest as we cuddled together, I examined him closer, he wasn’t a supermodel by any means; he was your average guy, just enough bulk, wit and charm, for some reason I found that attractive as hell. I licked my lips looking at Ashton, he pressed his finger on my nose and kissed me, I tasted his essence and it was delicious, it gave me a sense of pure euphoria; I felt bubbly inside as his essence filled into me, like drinking a fine wine I became drunk off him. His essence radiated from him in wisps of life force, it tantalized me as it touched my being; it was my forbidden fruit if you will; imagine your favorite your food but it was somehow made ten times better; that amazing feeling you get from eating something bad for you … this is how a succubus eats, and I’ve been running on empty for a long time. Celibacy is the equivalent of starvation for a succubus, I was stupid to think to that think I could just pleasure myself and that be enough; essentially I’ve feeding on myself, tearing away at own soul was what slowly killed me inside, but today I felt like I could breathe and not scream inside. Just sex alone will keep us alive and well; but the life force that defines who a person is that we truly desire. I laid my head on Ashton’s stomach and we stared at the stain glass tiled ceiling, “You’re distracted”. Ashton said brushing my hair, “Yeah sex does that”. “So what now, for a succubus: this is as far as it goes, a one night stand with a guy or girl who wouldn’t die if we fucked them; it’s a whim of fancy just a pursuit of pleasure… nothing more, to be more accurate we learn not to hope for more”. I asked him taking a deep sigh; “Well I want more, Elaine; I know that you’re the first person I’ve really loved, I want you; you’re perfect for me”. “Shut up”, I got on his chest and pressed my lips against his neck; “You’re sure, you’re playing with fire”. “I can’t see why I shouldn’t”. “You’re a crazy son of a bitch”. I said with a grin growing on my face. Ashton chuckled, “I’ve made up my mind; I’m not going to leave you, I care too much”. “Then be mine, will you”? “Any— “Shh. The first person I’ve come to love is you, that night I first saw you; I felt something inside, I felt love again”. Ashton pressed a finger to my mouth and looked at the mark on my left breast; he traced his finger over the rose and smiled, “Whatever happens between us… I promise I won’t leave you”. “Thank you”. Ashton got of the bed and went into the bathroom, he came back out with a damp towel in his hands and wiped my body clean of dry semen, and he wiped himself of my fluids; we looked at the clock and noticed only ten minutes passed since we started, “Next we’ll have to go a little longer”. “Still you made come before you, and that’s impressive”. We got changed and looked at the clock, “The others should be done by now, we’ll meet them in the lobby and head to the dining hall together”. – “An evening of bonding, I see; how nice”. Draco said smiling as he saw us coming in the lobby in pairs, “You look different, sexier if you will”. “Elaine this is how I really am”. He gave me a wink and held hands with Thane, “You’re...”. “What is it that odd for two men to love each other”? Thane said, “For fuck’s sake Elaine… give’em a break”. Louis and Lex walked in dressed in flamingo pink suits, “Sharply dressed, gentlemen; but you do know that there is an extensive wardrobe for your choosing”. Draco told them barely containing his laughter, “To be honest we were fucking around with our weapons, and made a bet; we both lost”. “Then who won”? Ashton asked, “I did”. Ragnarok walked in Nolan, both of them were covered in bandages and smiling like idiots, they put each in a head lock as they unraveled their bandages; “I’d say we’re evening, but that last kick sent me over the deep end”, “Likewise buddy”; they let go and punched each other’s fist making the room shake. “You two scare me”. They cracked their necks, they straightened their silk red ties and black suit coats, “Black and red it suits you both”. Nikolai walked in the room with Astoria on his shoulders, “Let’s go”. They declared with Astoria pointing her fist to the sky. I wasn’t going to lie we looked pretty awesome, walking in the dining hall as a group; the ten of us, we weren’t perfect; we definitely weren’t good by any means; but tonight more than ever I knew that I had found a family and home worth protecting, it was good seeing everyone smile and laugh; I finally felt like I belonged.  
I saw that the dining hall had a performance stage, I climbed the stage and had my friends look at me; “Don’t judge me, I haven’t sang in front of anyone for a while”. They gave me a thumbs up, and I pressed my lips into the microphone taking my place in front of the piano.  
Chorus  
I don’t want to live in a world of someone else’s imagining. I don’t wish to pick up these up pieces (I am a broken soul that has grown old).  
Once more I fade away, haunted by the pains of yesterday. It washes away, once more I break apart. Was I meant to die from the start?  
Shattered dreams, held together at the seams. Tell me what is left, tell me who I am? (I feel empty inside, it’s hard to feel alive)  
Dusk turns to day, each time a part of me fades to black. Despite this pain, I smile blindly to life.  
\--  
I look into the mirror I don’t see myself, just another stranger. Tell me who I am? Things have changed, I’m no longer the same. Who is this inside me, tell me how this works? There are secrets I’d leave unspoken, I’m sorry my will is broken.  
My faith lays shattered tell me what’s left inside? All my sorrows and my nightmares come to life. It’s not in my nature to hurt another soul.  
I wait for a savior as drown in my tears, consumed by my fears. The sleeping beast that is a part of me, feeds on my humanity. How am I a part of the insanity?  
I’m sorry for the monster I’ve become, don’t look at me; don’t look for me. Remember “me” I was once, remember who I was, before this nightmare. I don’t want to hurt you so please stay way.  
\--  
Poison in my heart, it has torn me apart. Life is a battle, and I am losing. My humanity is slipping, my memories are fading, and I’ll disappear when life gets hazy.  
The scars still remain after all these years, the grief and misery of past mistakes are engraved into my soul.  
I am the one that is breaking, in this life there is only sadness. Show me how to escape this madness, I grow transparent as I am fading.  
Don’t try to change me (x2), let me sing this twisted lullaby as I die on the inside. Please tell me what am I supposed to be?  
Chorus  
\--  
Every day I die on the inside, fading, forgetting who I am. Can you save me? (x2) I still tear apart on the inside  
I’m afraid there’s nothing left at all, I live in wretched existence as I fade away. I live in a nightmare, in this life our there is no fairness, only madness .No more kindness, only sadness.  
Why do I die, why do I have to die at all. Teach me how to forget the sadness, remind me of the kindness that we’ve been shown. Our dreams have turned to dust, we are blown into wind, and there is nothing left but our regrets.  
Don’t forget me (you can’t forget me)! So easy to trivialize the things that matter. So please forgive me, for what I’ve done, for who I’ve become. Truth is I am just a monster that is crying, I am slowly dying. There’s nothing left inside, I am breaking now.  
Chorus  
\--  
For the show I fake a smile, but it can only last a while. I’ve forgotten what means to be happy, there’s nothing left inside. I am breaking apart into a thousand pieces, can you save me?  
I’ve fell apart, help me pick me up the pieces of this shattered life. Pull me through the strife, I’m still reeling from the knife. I still hurt from the wounds inside. But enough is enough, I had enough of this sickness.  
Won’t you answer my prayers, please end my misery. No more crying, no more sadness, I’ll escape the madness. Teach me how to smile, I don’t care if it takes a while.   
Show me how to be free, show how to be myself; will you stand by me? I am no longer sorry who I am, don’t tell me how to live this life, I’ve done it alone. The truth has sank into my bones, I’m still a monster; but that’s alright by me. Just forgive me for the things I’ve done. Tell me why it was worth it. — Show me love and kindness, all the things that make a life worth living; show me how to close this chapter, teach me to escape my madness. (x2)  
Chorus  
\--  
For a long time I’ve ran on empty, I know I’m made of broken glass and pieces, I’ve held my peace for far too long, when I broke was I weak… no I was strong for too long, when I lost it all was I wrong to give in, what makes it right can you tell me?   
I know I am broken, all the secrets I left unspoken, and they are brought to light. Some nights are darker than others, but that’s no bother to me; I know I am shattered, I know I’m falling apart on the inside.  
Yeah I’m a wreck, but I don’t care anymore (x2). No more bitter dreams and sweet nightmares, I’m sick of losing sleep. I’m sick of listening to sheep ranting on, I grow tired of the hate I hold inside.  
What’s left, don’t you realize so much more is out there! Let’s stop the hate, you there is no such thing as fate  
I look up from the ground, there is no light; there is no sound. Hard to breathe when you’re trapped underground. There’s no hope inside, don’t you want to cry? Why did you keep in? Aren’t you going to die?  
No not tonight, I’m chasing dreams and lights. Time to live out life, set aside the strife. Child don’t touch the knife. You got nothing to fear there’s more to life than what you know.  
Hope abounds tonight, and we’ll be dancing in the moonlight. This ain’t your last night alive.  
Chorus  
\--  
Do you realize what’s left inside? You’re still alive and it’s not time to die. Do we grow distant?  
Are we alone, where do we call home? Are we broken, were our dreams left unspoken?  
Are we shaken, we’re not anymore!  
Shake off the dust, clear the rust. It’s time to live again, forget the pain it’s only the rain.  
Let’s breathe again, time to forget these ruined memories.  
\--  
I lived my life through a thousand lies, no more room for twisted alibies. When push comes to shove, is there room for love? (x2)  
I am only human, so don’t expect a perfect version of a fucking person. Don’t treat me like this, I am not a hero… I am only just a girl. I am not a damn beast I am only human. Damn, who am I anymore? Remember the “me” I was. (x2)  
I still grow distant from the ones I love, there’s no more innocence. Take me to the river bend and wash the poison of my skin, teach me to be whole again. Time to swallow my pride, but I’ll never let them break my stride.  
Did our dreams tear at the seams, were our hopes bleeding through the cracks? Teach me how to love, let’s turn the page and see something new.  
Chorus  
\--  
The day’s grower colder, I’m only getting older. Why does it seem so far away, and I am dying now. No more time for screaming, now is the time for healing.  
Enough with the reeling, I’m fading away into the cold night once again. Reined in by the pains of yesterday, I find it hard to see the light. Surrounded only by night.   
I’m broken, unbreakable. I’m shaken, unshakable.  
I am fading away into the black dreams of sorrow, the sparrows so frail… the winter so cold: here and now we unravel the sins of our past! The bells shall toll and our story shall be told. This is the day our legend will become gold.  
I’ll remain corrupted for paradise, all imperfections make us perfect; we are only human… nothing more;  
Can you forgive me what I’ve become, remember the soul I once was. (x3)  
Chorus   
Did you ever wish for an answer to your prayers, solution to the problem? No more crying, no more dying on the inside, I’m lucky to be loved and alive. Don’t be ashamed of who are you, your beautiful because you’re you.   
Teach me to care, teach me to dare. We’ll touch the sky, don’t you say goodbye. The stars are closer than they ever been, don’t you realize you’re still alive. We’ve got so much to live for, let’s not end it here; let’s face our fears.  
Let’s smile and wait a while it ain’t a race let it last, and let’s never look back to the past. Have a little faith, left, right, left; marching step by step, forget the stress, a little more sunshine my dear… we’ve got to nothing fear anymore.  
“Thank you for listening”. I took a bow and heard the soothing claps of my audiences, the applause was mixed in with the subtle sounds of grating metal; I felt an uneasy feeling slip over me, all hell was going to break loose.   
I stepped off the stage and walked to the dining table, “Quite the performance”, the flames crackled within his mangled gold frame as his hands slowly grated against each other; he walked closer with strained steps and placed his hand on my cheek, “Strings… I hate strings”. The statue flexed his body; and started moving much more fluidly, “That’s better… I am Damien”, his entire being reeked of evil; I saw inside the metal casing, there was silence, no heartbeat, no pulse, no soul; even though he wasn’t alive I felt a storm inside of him; “Elaine”, I stuck out my hand and he wrapped his golden talons around it, “So soft… so warm; I miss being mortal”. My skin brushed against the soft gold of his hand sending chills down my spine, the surface of the metal was colder than ice; he let go and I saw that my hand had started to turn blue, I lit a spark in my hand and as it turned back into its normal rosy color; after Damien was done examining me he turned and walked away leaving burn marks on the floor, “Elaine are you okay”. I felt Ashton’s hand on my shoulder, “Yeah… I’ll be fine”. My voice shook as I forced out the words, Ashton guided me into a chair at our table and he sat next me; “Let’s enjoy the night”. He smiled, and I felt reassured inside: “Let’s do that”. I looked over and saw Damien talk to Reico, he genuinely smiled through his flames; there was peace inside him when his was around his family, Reico patted him on the back and took Damien over to their table.  
“Lust”. “Greed”. “Pride”. “Fraud”. “Wrath”. “Envy”. “Heresy”. “Treachery”. “Gluttony”. “Sloth”. “Malice”. “Hysteria”. The twelve sins of mankind. How interesting is it, that I would encounter Heresy tonight; just play it cool, would you? I’m going to see him again, and right now I’m not in the mood for shedding blood; the twelve devils it’s almost time we see each other again, I hate sappy reunions… but then again we’re not your average organization. To offer any sort of explanation, my mark is my seal holding back the complete strength of my inner self; when that mark breaks I transform permanently into a Succubus. To clarify, when I do transform, it’s beautiful; in the apartment, I grew two leathery wings from my back and long dragon like horns manifested out of my head, I wore a silver lace corset with a scarlet ribbon around my neck; covering my waist was black miniskirt decorated with red flowing clouds; my hands and feet were covered in scaled crimson colored bladed armor.  
Around Damien was an aura of pure evil, in fact I could hear the voices of the people he’s killed in the past, the tortured screams made him place his hands on his ears; he hunched over in his chair and I heard his flames crackle, this time something close to sobbing. I walked over to the buffet table and stared at the exotic cuisine with my mouth dropped, where do I begin; I know it’s silly but the food here scared me, especially the dishes that were still crawling. I hovered around the table and settled on what looks a spaghetti in a creamy seafood sauce, I got a pair of tongs and clipped some of the noodles; I placed it on the plate and breathed a sigh of relief when it stood perfectly still, becoming more confident I got a bowl of silky pink broth, the fruity smelling soup frothed as I sprinkled some parsley on top of it, I smelled the scent of a roasted chicken. I sat down at the table and prayed, that I don’t die from the first bite. I took a spoonful of the soup and it was delicious, I held the cup and downed it; wiping the pink broth of my lips Nolan smiled at me, “You want to why it tastes so damn good”. “Isn’t this a fruit soup”? “Tell me which fruit has bones”? I saw a small bird skeleton at the bottom of the bowl, “That explains the poultry aftertaste”. Nolan sat down and set his plate in front him, raw bloody chunks, “Don’t tell me that’s”. “What if it was”? I felt a little vomit in my mouth, “The best meat ever… so soft and tender, it’s delicious”; as my mouth dropped open in shock, he placed a forkful of his meat in my mouth, thankfully it wasn’t human flesh; but Nolan was right it was delicious. “Doesn’t it just melt it your mouth”? He said smiling, “Chrysalid Salamander; the only reptile in the known world to taste this good, after the poisoned blood has been taken out of course”. I chewed on the meat on a little more, first it was sweet and then like savory peanut butter, it dissolved on the tongue and flowed down like silk. Ashton got a plate of river bison cooked to medium well with a side of purple rice, he sat down to my left and looked at Nolan’s plate with curiosity. “How does the bison taste”? Ashton took a bite and nodded his head is satisfaction; “Cooked to perfection”. “Then we’ll trade a bite of each, bison for salamander”? “Fair enough”, tasted a forkful each other’s food and traded dishes; I looked at my spaghetti and it was steaming hot; in fact it the noodles seemed plumper than when I first plated it. That’s not natural; it’s been fifteen minutes, the noodles aren’t soggy, hell it looks even more appetizing; I took a bite and fell into a stupor of happiness; the hazelnut and mushroom cream sauce balanced out the spiciness of the fish fillet, when combined everything together with noodles it was a beautiful blend of earth and sea. Nolan looked at my plate; “Venus Lobster tossed in a cream sauce with gold wheat noodles, served with a poached devil fish fillet; that’s ballsy as hell”. Munch, munch, munch. I looked at Nikolai and Astoria as they sat other end of the table chowing down a huge rack of barbeque boar ribs, they looked over grinning with dry rub smeared over their face and motioned for our plates, Nikolai placed a rib on each dish and gave it back to us; “He normally doesn’t share food”, “I guess we’re special”. We each took a bite of the ribs after finishing our first on entrée; “Is it just me or do you guys taste coffee in the rub”. I chewed a little more, “It’s not a bad thing; just unexpected”. “Agreed”, I looked over at Ashton and he showed me his notepad, the whole time we’ve been eating he’s been jotting down the recipes of all the dishes we’ve tried, “What they don’t know, won’t kill them”. He smiled and looked at the buffet table, “so many things to try; I’ve died and gone to a chefs paradise”. “I never saw him like this”. Nolan said, taking a sip of strawberry flavored tea; Nolan wiped a tear from his eye, “It’s good to know that he can still be happy”, “You do care for us”. “Of course I do, you’ve taken me in and kept me out of trouble; it’s the least I can do”. “Come on, we’ve got stomachs to fill and drinks to down”. Lovely, and calming music played in the background; it was a violin and piano; I was more surprised to see who was playing the instruments. Ragnarok handed the piano and a woman in a flowing white lab coat stood next to him holding the electric guitar, they played in complete harmony with their closed, and the room fell quiet as we admired the music.  
For the next five and half minutes, I absorbed myself into the song, when I was done I looked at the woman as she walked off the stage blowing me a kiss; I blocked out the applause as got off the piano seat and walked over to the drink table, I got a mug of whiskey and sat down at the bar counter with the woman that joined me on the stage; her skin was porcelain white, she glowed like an angel, she smiled showing me bronze her wedding ring: “Diana, nice to meet you”. “I’m Ragnarok”. She took off her coat and adjusted the straps of her peach colored dress; before covering her shoulders light blue shawl, she took large gulp of bourbon, “Being the caretakers for these misfits with Reico, it’s a hell of a lot of fun; their almost like our children, and if anything we’d give our lives to keep them safe”. “It’s ironic that the Grim Reaper would be a doctor, don’t you say”. Diana looked at me, “You could’ve killed her at any moment; you could’ve killed Laura at any moment, why didn’t you do it”? “So that’s her name”. I said taking a sip of my whiskey, “I didn’t want the blood of a child on my hands; that girl still has her innocence, her purity; I didn’t want her to lose that”. “Ragnarok, how have you been this evening”? I saw Reico dressed in his white suit and tie he walked over with two plates of grilled lionfish, he sat next to Diana and gave her a kiss on her cheek; he pour himself a glass of merlot and sat down next to Diana passing one of the plates toward her, “That was a wonderful performance”. Diana pressed her hands on his cheeks squishing his face, “You’re going to ruin liver”. “Shut up; I’m getting drunk and you’re getting cute; after the party’s over maybe we could have a little fun ourselves”. Reico smiled at her and stroked her back with his hand, before feeding her a spoonful of dirty rice; “Can’t we eat first, I can tell you’re starving”. “You know me so well”, she said staring dreamily at Reico; “Ragnarok, if you don’t mind; I have to take care of my darling first”. Diana giggled and started hiccupping, “Yeah, I’ll catch you around”. I got a large bowl of smoking blue broth and placed thick coils of noodles in the soup, I topped off my udon with tempura vegetables and got a side of fried lava chicken, I walked back to my friends and was glad I found some normalcy again. Greeted by smiles I sat down and started my meal, “This is definitely one interesting night”. Thane said to me drinking a cup of black expresso; “I know it’s hard to believe that there are other teams like us somewhere out in the world”. “We should enjoy the peace while we can, hell when we get back; can we do something like this again, Draco and I were having a eating with you guys”. “Yeah, but don’t ask me to cook; I always burn everything in the end”. Ashton walked over to us and smiled; “We definitely need to start eating at home more”. Thane smiled; walked back to Draco as he entertained our friends by juggling the cutlery on the table, “I guess I need to become the full time cook again”. Ashton sighed, “I suppose so, besides; your cooking is the best”. I gave my brother a hug, “Please don’t die on me again; I don’t think bear to think what would happen if you did die”. “For a demonic god, you’re still wimp”. “Shut up”, I hugged tighter; “I guess I have to be everyone’s guardian”. “I suppose so, you always made for the best friend in times of need”.

The banquet ended and we retired to our rooms for the night, saying goodnight to each other in half drunken and food caused comatose stupors; when we got back to our quarters, I sat in the lobby with Nolan… as we digested the food in our stomachs we passed the time with a match of chess, we felt something dangerous brew in the distance; tomorrow the remaining fights would commence and someone would die as a result. “Nolan, whatever you do; don’t hold back tomorrow, I have feeling the remaining opponents are going to be monsters compared to what we’ve seen today”. “I know, that walking statue scares me most of all; of the people we had to fight it had to be them”. “Remember we make our own luck”. “That’s why we’ll win”. I sincerely hope we do, failure isn’t an option.   
I packed my gear and bared my teeth in the mirror, “That’s your game face”? Nolan said laughing, I looked at him; he raised his arms in sarcastic fear, “Ahh… you’re going to eat me”. I finished putting on my arm and leg guards, “Good luck kiddo”. “Thanks, I’ve got this Nolan”; Nolan felt my arms and smiled, “The training’s definitely made you stronger; let’s see how much you’ve learned”. He gave me a hug before I walked out the door, I faced a womanly figure covered in black shroud from head to toe; she placed one hand on the floor and held a long curved sword in other, her legs tensed and she shot forward at Mach thirty, I raised my hands and took a deep breath; I clapped my hands above my head and stopped her blade from touching my skull, I hardened the moisture around my fist and smashed my fist into her stomach; she keeled over and I smashed my leg down on her neck, I grabbed her head and smashed my knee into her face; I pressed my hands into the ground and shot up a pillar of water knocking her into the air, I leapt the current and stabbed my sword through her and sent her crashing back down with blast of water from my hands; the body cast hit the ground with a poof of dust, the shroud was empty; I stared death in the face as cold blue eyes stared into me, she smiled and I stabbed her hand through my chest; gripping my heart she spun us around tossed me to the ground, I landed in the middle of shroud which had turned into a bed of nail; the woman formed a black hole from placing the wrists of her hands together; it sucked all the oxygen out of the atmosphere and temporarily suspended gravity; I lifted upward, as the black hole condensed around her fist, she clenched her hand tightly and flew into me; slamming me back into ground and impaling me on the wall of spikes again, I felt all the bones in my body break and I coughed out blood; I staggered up and held my balance using my sword as a cane, she held two giant blades in her hands and dashed forward with her blue oriental floral dress flowing, I blocked off the strikes and shot my hand forward, I gripped her neck and snapped it my hand; she stood up and straightened her neck, “Shanoa Ambrose, what’s your name”. Her voice sounded forced, robotic, and unnatural: “Astoria Eritrea”. I said. “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to kill you”. She held swords and rushed forward, I danced around her strikes and condensed four ruby tails out of my back; my tails shot forward and she blocked it with a pair of butterfly wings shattering my tails, “How fragile are you… is that why so pretty”. She shot forward and touched my face, “You’re beautiful… sadly I have to cut you down”. I felt her hand touch my chest and I pushed to the ground; she held the blade over my head and contemplated for a minute, she sheathed her blades and took a step forward; “You’re too beautiful to kill”. She said helping me to my feet, “Thankfully, I don’t feel the same”. I got out my shuriken and sliced her throat, she dropped to the floor and sighed, sowing the wound in her throat shut, with black hair thin wires that crawled out from underneath her black fingernails; “That was dirty, I hate dirty fighting”. The wires covered her naked body and she wore a lightly armored combat suit, she wrapped herself in her shroud and after giving it a good shake; she cracked her knuckles and shot forward, I felt her fist smash into my face, choke slammed into the ground; she squeezed her hand around my neck as she drove me deeper into the ground, she formed her guardian as nine tails spider legs and I was terrified, “Stay down”. She walked out of the ditch with her legs flexing backwards, I staggered up and was impaled into the wall behind me, the center leg flexed itself as it sliced my throat and skewered my heart; tasting the blood in my I formed a shell of water around my body and took a final stand, she stabbed away at my armor as I stepped forward my regeneration kicked into overdrive, punched her stomach once in range and rolled out of the way to dodge her swinging legs, I grabbed one of her legs and tore it off, ripping off the tip, I threw my makeshift spear into her heart, she swung at me with her remaining eight legs, she leapt up and slammed them down all at once I grabbed them in my hands and ripped them out of her back, I swung around and smashed them into her like a baseball bat; caught in my attack I slammed her downward into the ground, I walked over to her and pummeled away at her, pounding her into a bloody pulp; from her exposed rib cage there was a small glint, then a nuclear explosion; I was sent flying into the air with my armor disintegrating off my body and shriveling around my shoulder; I looked to the left of me and saw black streak; then I l started losing consciousness, feeling a snap in my neck, “NO”! I heard Nolan cry for me. I fell into his arms when I was about to crash into the ground, Shanoa flew above us with a calm look on her face; she flapped her large grey wings as she descended toward us, that was the last thing I saw about her; her eyes were empty yet there was some humanity left, more accurately the soul inside is a piece of a wholes; what I fought wasn’t a person, just an imprint of who they were, she walked away as I blacked out, I felt his tears fall on my shoulders as he embraced me tighter; “Don’t die, don’t die, don’t die on me”!   
Astoria woke up in the lobby as I tended to her wounds, “You okay”? I sat in my chair back after disinfecting the wound and applying last bandage on her stomach, “I’ll be fine”. Astoria winced, she brought herself into a sitting position and looked me in the eye. “I need to get stronger Nolan. I need to cannibalize”. “No, I refuse; I’m not going to lose another person I care about to that twisted practice… I barely retained who I am, I can’t afford to lose you”. I placed my hand on her cheek and stared at her with tears in my eyes, “You’re sure about this”. “Yeah, I am”. “Please come back the way are you”. I pulled down my sweater collar and pointed to where I wanted her to bite; she closed her eyes and covered mine with her hand before she leaned in, “Forgive me”. My tears ran down as Astoria sank her teeth into the left side of my neck; I watched her reel back, she staggered up struggling to breathe, Astoria leaned over to vomit out what was in mouth, but she kept it in as I watch her chew; I saw a bulge in her throat as she forced it pass to her stomach. I caught her as she was to fall to the ground, she cried in pain as her veins grew black, as her pulse started to fade; I laid her down and gripped her hand as she curled into a ball, howling in agony. The room fell silent and for a moment everything stood still, I placed my ear on her chest and heard nothing; Astoria was dead. I started crying as I looked at Astoria lying in the fetal positon, I saw her skin fade into a purer type of pale, white streaks appeared in her hair; “Dear father in heaven; watch over your angel, this night; she has started on a dangerous path”. I sat next to her and waited; “Please come back alive”. My hopes for her survival started to slip from my fingers, her body twitched and convulsed as the decay in her rapidly grew; she ate my poisoned flesh, and all I can do now sit and watch.  
I faced myself in a white void, all of the wounds I tried to forget manifest itself in front of me; “You ate your friend, how desperate are you; you should know already at your limit”. I clutched my chest and fell on my knees, I could see the veins turn black as my breathing grew strained; “I need to be stronger”. “You can’t, you’ll die before that happens”. My copy approached me with a dagger in her hand, she placed it at my throat; “Any last words”? I gripped her wrist as she was about to slash open my throat, “This is a fight you can’t win”. I drew my sword; “There’s no way in hell I’m going to die”! I got to my feet and took my stance, I took a step forward and was already out breath. Out of reflex I raised my arms to block her strike and it felt as if my heart and lungs were being crushed by thick hands; I rolled out of the way to dodge the next thrust and clutched my stomach, I stabbed the sword into the ground and stood back up; I have to protect them. I held my sword with one hand and spaced out my feet, I held the blade close to me as I spun to the right to dodge the next slash. I cut downward as she turned to face me, my blade was stopped by the dagger with a sweep kick I was knocked off my feet, I was grabbed by the throat and she pinned me to the floor after slamming me into the ground. She went for the kill and I grabbed her wrist snapping it my grip. I swiped the knife out of the air with my free hand and sliced my copy in the throat, I threw her off me and plunged the dagger into her heart jumping on her body; the copy faded into inky particles, and the essence crawled into my skin. I screamed in pain as black lines covered my body, I heard the voices of all the people slain by this curse; “Hate, Pain, Rage, Agony, Torture”. The words kept repeating in my head, soon joined in by an incessant chant for my death; “Die, Die, Die”. I held my hand to my chest and touched where my collar should be, I condensed the curse to that point and formed a locking seal as a XIII on my neckline, a wave of peace overcame me, I did it; the curse and I were now compatible.  
I awoke in a guest room with Nikolai sitting beside my bed, “That was very reckless… I’m just glad that you’re safe”. He hugged me as he started tearing up, he looked in my eyes for any signs of the curse, “That’s a relief you got it under control”. He placed his finger on my mark and placed a second layer of protection around it; two concentric circles were placed around my seal. Nikolai leaned back in his chair and sighed, “I almost lost you today; please don’t do anything stupid, I don’t know what I would do with you”. I gave Nikolai a punch on the shoulder, “You and both promised we’d take care of each other, when things got rough”. I felt the curse add to my own power, I surged with energy; it felt as if my body would explode, “Astoria would you like something to eat, you’ve been out for a few hours”. “Let’s see, I want something sweet”. Nikolai came back from the lobby with a cup of fresh black coffee and a chocolate muffin, “Drink this first”; “Can you put some sugar or creamer”? “No, drink it black; it’ll be sweet I promise”. “If you say so”. I took a sip and it was quite literally the best thing ever, “This tastes great; it reminds me of cheesecake”; “Now taste the muffin”, I took a bite of the muffin and it tasted like horse shit; I spit it out and washed out my mouth with the coffee, “What the hell why does that taste so bad”. “That curse prevents you from eating human food naturally, you have to reacquire your love all your favorite dishes”. “Then how come I can drink the coffee”? “Because your taste buds mistake the coffee as sweet instead of bitter”. I set the coffee on the nightstand, “How do you know this”? I started feeling sick, I can’t eat anything anymore; “Do remember how you met me”. I imagined in my head how Nikolai stood amongst the eaten corpses of his victims, he beat his chest like a mad ape and rushed me; the memory stopped as he was about to kill me, he showed the mark of a black widow on his neck; “You killed them”? I stammered out, “Those villagers”. “They were nothing but livestock to me”. “Why didn’t you eat me then”? “Why did you stay me with and Harvey”? “Because I actually gave a shit about what happens to you two, you accepted me for what I was; I owed that much”, Nikolai stood up and walked out the door, I darted in front of the door; he placed a hand on my shoulder and pushed me aside; “I guess we’re done playing house”.


	7. Episode Seven: Precipitate destruction

I woke up drenched in sweat and screaming, “Astoria, you okay”? Nikolai’s voice sounded murky and distorted; I clapped my ears and I could hear normally again, “Astoria”. I snapped back to reality and saw Nikolai, this is disease it makes me see the things I fear the most, this is going to suck, and out of the blue I felt hungry; something inside me shut off and a psychotic bloodlust came over me. The world around me contorted, I looked in the vanity mirror and almost fainted at my reflection; my skin turned in a paler porcelain white, and my hair was decorated with three streaks of silver, I felt rotten inside as the nightmare from earlier pierced my heart and mind, I felt something fester inside me; I leaned over in pain as my stomach growled, for a second I lost all sense of who I am; I saw Nikolai and I felt my mouth salivate, I saw Nikolai twist apart in my vision, I saw him morph into a spire of crystalline sugar, he squirmed in sight as the room warped into a some twisted reality. With a hiss, I got on all fours and lunged at him, as the gap between us closed I saw him smile, “Isn’t it a little early for Halloween”; he grabbed me and I was embraced by him, I clamped down my teeth on his neck and bit into him, I never knew you tasted like coffee; the earthy flesh and blood mingled in my mouth as my tense body relaxed falling into a state of a natural high. Nikolai set me down as I started to breathe normally, I realized what I had done and looked at him in horror; “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that”. He rubbed the blood spot on his neck and looked at his bloodied finger before he sighed, “You’re going to need more than an appetizer to fill your stomach”. Nikolai took me in his arms and put me over his shoulders, “Let’s get a bite to eat”. “No, it’s fine; I can last a little longer”. “You sure, you look like you’re going to die”. He set me down on the bed and I laid down, I closed my eyes and I felt myself slipping; everything that made me who I am started to slip out of existence, something primal took over, my guardian spirit stirred inside as it became corrupted by the disease inside me; this is the price of power, maybe I bit off more than I can chew after all. Time to die, once more.  
I stood in the remains of my psyche, a broken castle; in the center I saw my soul; it was still shining bright blue, in the center of my being was a black light slowly growing; I saw myself as a child, she was pure and beautiful; I watched myself turned to dust, I broke apart into specs and reformed as who as I am; the world around me turned black, I looked at my reflection, I am corrupt, I am impure, but there is still hope inside my soul. I approached myself and touched where my heart should be, as my finger approached the gaping hole it started to seal and my reflection looked at me with bulging black eyes full of sadness and tears, I felt my arms wrap around me and touch my face; “embrace this part of you”. She mouthed, I dreamt back to my real childhood; I was with Nikolai in field lined with blood and gore, the skies bled crimson as Nikolai slaughtered everything in sight that tried to harm me, he was a war god; a scary person, the only thing had left to family now, he moved and cut down all his enemies; slicing them to bits finally he faced Harvey; the root of our disease, he was much different than what I came to know him as. Before this Harvey and Nikolai went by different names, all I knew was I didn’t want any more people to die; as their blades were about to connect I stepped between them and touched their the core of their chests, a light shone from both of them as they were purified and changed, the heartache I held in until that day finally died and was put to rest; this is disease showed me what I really was, and I was afraid of who I would become. The two men went down and fell on their backs with new memories planted into them, the past I had defined for them and myself; I fell on a bed of bloodied flowers and closed my eyes to the crimson sky, the world reverted to as the last thing I saw was a blue moon above me, all other color and noise came flooding back, like a held breath the world finally exhaled and time flowed naturally once more; I lost consciousness and my world turned black. Before I fell into the void, I saw the veins in my hand turn black, the power of insanity was trumped by the will of child, now that scar has consumed me… how odd.  
The candles I lit sizzled out, my unquenchable twilight flames shorted out; I stopped my vigil stared dead at the half melted candles, my world went silent; the girl I came to know was no more, the Astoria I knew was dead. The tears started well in my eyes, my heart grew heavy; I shouldn’t have let her… it’s too late now, she’s going to die and it’s my fault. I stumbled toward the bar counter, I leaned back in my barstool, I watched as the evening’s crimson sun poured in through the waiting room windows, I took a deep breath and made myself a cup of black coffee; the light slowly faded to twilight, I finally understood what it meant to have understanding, to be in the center of peace and frustration; “What I have done”? I asked staring at the ceiling, “Don’t tell you’re going to pussy out on her”. I turned and saw Nikolai, “Shut up… I don’t want to hear from you”. I drank from my cup as my salty tears mixed with the bitter coffee, “Nolan… she needs you guide her through this”. I looked in my cup, the black viscous liquid swayed in loops; “Help her retain whatever humanity she has left… I’m begging you, as her friend and guardian”. I got out my combat knife and walked past Nikolai, “What are you going do”? He stammered out, “I’m giving her pain an exit”. I felt his hand on my shoulder, “Don’t kill her she has so much to live for”. “No she won’t die, but what I’m going to do will put her in a lot of pain; can you trust me to save her”? I felt his grip loosen, I brushed his hand out of the way and walked toward her room; I made my fingers into a halberd and slid them past my blade, the metal glowed white hot and I took a deep breath; I saw sleep so peacefully, I smiled at her innocence; I won’t take your life to relieve you of your burden, but I will help you carry it. I placed my knife at her throat and closed my eyes; forgive me, I never meant this.  
I drew my blade across her throat, the black mark of a scorpion formed around her neck as the wound drew crimson blood; she did it… how? The wound closed itself shut and Astoria looked me blankly, before smiling; her hair turned into an ocean blue color, “Isn’t it pretty”? Her eyes turned into ice blue; her pupils remained in a steely gaze as she stared right through me. I sat down next to her and was embraced her, “Stay by me… please”. She cried warm tears, my cold hands were warmed by her porcelain white skin as I wrapped my arms around her; I closed my eyes and caught her scent, this was her… there was no doubt yet something was off, I could sense the same corruption I have in her; yet she put it back to sleep… how? “Don’t leave me I feel so alone”. I held her tighter and didn’t want to let go, she cried into me; “Forgive me”. I wiped the tears from Astoria’s eyes and examined her, the disease it never took in her; she’s controlling the cancer inside, amazing. My tainted blood flows within you now, yet you cleansed it by will alone; making something immeasurably more powerful than madness… you’ve found resolve and hardened it into an unbreakable spirit. I hugged tighter, “Please don’t do that again, I want to lose my only reason for trying to find my humanity again, Astoria… don’t ever die on me”. I looked in her eyes and saw it the inky tumor of insanity flickered softly like a dying flame, she became one with the disease, just like me… that’s how she did it, she looked into her heart and faced what was destroying her from the inside. The icy blue in her irises faded back to her normal sky blue irises, her expression softened to the Astoria I knew; I smiled as she slumped over, leaning on my shoulder she snored softly drooling on my armor, and mumbling about eating raw meat. “My precious little cannibal, oh what fun we’re going to have… for now rest, it’s been a long day for you”. I turned to the door frame and saw Nikolai walk down the hallway with a smile on his face, he raised his hands and wiped away the tears that a parent would cry.  
I met him back in the waiting room, we sat down next to each other and Nikolai passed me six jagerbombs, I downed the first shot glass and coughed at the strength of the alcohol; “Let’s talk after we drink a little, okay”? Nikolai said taking a deep breath, after downing our glasses; the world suddenly seemed a bit more gloomy than usual, “Nolan… if anything happens to me, take care of Astoria”. I sighed as I got some vodka and downed half the bottle, “Nikolai… we’re her family now, damn it; I promise that none of you are going to die while I still breathe”. I passed him the bottle and he put away the other half; “By no means are we to abandon one another, is that it”? “Then count me out, I’m a liar and a coward when the people who need me are in a cinch”. I punched Nikolai in the face, “Didn’t you tell me not to pussy out”; I slammed my fist on the counter breaking through the granite countertop. “Tell me what are you afraid of”? I said letting my anger cool off, “Of losing what I have”. “Then protect it with your life, I know you’ve spilled a lot of blood back then; but you’re not the same person now… show the world who you’ve become”. I saw my name light up on the flatscreen, “Well wish me luck”.  
I stepped into the arena and faced a girl about eighteen years old, she wore a white button shirt and black skinny jeans, her skin was olive color and her eyes were a deep forest green, she gave me a friendly smile; the type of smile you give to a best friend, she reached for the crowbar attached to her leg; “Just like old times”. She said laughing, “This should be fun”. The arena was spatially shifted as we bounced around in the air, the ground distorted and was no parallel to the sky; Jesus Christ, she’s a seeker… fuck me. I bolted past her as she was about to swing down her crowbar on my skull, the second we past each other I blocked her roundhouse kick with my arm and tossed her back to the ground, I dove downward stared into a throwing knife heading right toward me, I slashed away at the knife and she appeared behind me; her arms wrapped around me and we hurtled toward the ground like a missile, the wind breezed past my face and I smiled as I wrapped myself around her in a cocoon of darkness, I opened my shroud and let her plummet the fifty foot drop, in the sky I formed forty shafts of light and shadow each around ten feet long and a foot thick; I skewered the shafts into the ground and formed a pentagram around her, “Goodbye”. I drew my sword and shot downward, I landed on her with my knees and pierced my sword through her heart; the pentagram lit up as her blood flowed through it; the blood seeped into the outer ring where it made the yin-yang symbol… “Perfect Twilight: Equinox”. The world turned black and white; I manifested my curse and my body crackled as we transported into Limbo. I slashed in blurs of light and shadow, tearing my opponent to pieces watching her blood and limbs get torn apart frame by frame; after the hundredth slash, she was a floating gore pool; then I saw her chest reform, “Well…shitty dicks”. I saw sent myself flying backward and her body fixed itself pulling in all of her cells, tissues, organs, limbs; made whole she pulled out a flare gun and aimed it at me; the flare was a white ball fire, it slowly crawled through the air; with a slow snap of her fingers it was right in front of my face; I stepped out of the way and it flew toward the wall, as it exploded; she inched toward me with a crowbar in her hand; I laughed as I dodged the strike, “Equinox… is eternal”. I bent my will around her spatial powers the world was fixed and made logical sense again; I drew my sword and stabbed it through her, it was an afterimage; I saw her above me, she pulled down with a grappling hook and looked right at the tip of sword… “Go ahead and skewer yourself”. I watched her body went through my sword, I smiled as she slid of my blade when I pointed it downward. The gaping hole in her chest seethed and writhed, her skin burned from the corrupted metal of my blade, “That’s the kind of wound you don’t recover from”. I leaned downward and held her wrist stopping her knife from slitting my throat, I cleaned the wound by passing my hand over it, the knife dropped from her hand and with one last act of retaliation she reached for my throat, her arms fell limp and she looked at the tip of my sword as I aimed it above her temple; “Do you yield”? “Nolan, you haven’t changed one bit have you”. She smiled out through bloodied teeth, “Desieda”? I clapped my hands making time resume normally and I helped her to her feet; with a punch to the gut, she got behind me and brought a rag with a brown stain to my face, “Chloroform… You haven’t changed at all either”. I started to pass out as she laid me gently to the ground. “Best frenemies for life, eh”? Desieda said as she sat next to me, I shook off the chloroform and stared into the clear sky; “That was cheap and underhanded, I’m proud of you”. “I learned from the best”.  
I got back up and walked over to the gate, “Nolan, how do the dead taste”. I looked at Nikolai as he stepped out in the ring with nothing but the clothes on his back; “Rotten… putrid, almost like fish on the verge of spoiling; why do ask”? Something changed in his normally carefree eyes; his pupils turned into narrow slits and his skin hardened into an dark emerald coat; he towered above me by at least nine more feet, he pressed his hands into the earth and scooped out the remains of a dead warrior, swallowing the corpse whole he looked at me with black venom coursing through his eyes, the Nikolai I knew was replaced by a more terrifying person. “I am a titan, make no mistake it’s still me… this is how I grow and live, please get out of my way… I don’t want your blood on your hands”. “You’re certainly a handsome bastard”, I touched his granite and emerald skin; smooth and cool to the touch, I snapped back my hand as his skin burned white hot, he steamed and howled in pain, the reflective sheen of his armor glowed bright and became harder than diamond; metallic fragments grew out from his flesh and blood. His body was turned completely jet black, his skin shined under the grey sunlight and reflected my face, Nikolai’s body arced with natural electricity; “Get inside before I lose it… I’m starting to slip away right now”. I rushed inside and closed the gate, I peered out of the iron bars and saw his aura; needless to say I almost shit myself, Nikolai grew out eight more arms from his shoulders; from the sides of his head a pair of magma bull horns manifested themselves, an ominous cloud of shadow hovered around his body as his skin bubbled and cracked open spewing magma onto the arena floor; he looked at me with deep crimson eyes, there was no more Nikolai… only the beast that had consumed him. He clapped his hands together and turned the battlefield into a scorched hellscape, he materialized his cleavers out of thin air and charged them with the same energy coursing through him; the blades caught on fire were engraved with cursed inscriptions.  
The letters glowed a bright orange and his armor was marked the same, he flared brightly almost singing off my face, he took a deep breath as I swatted off the flames on my clothes; the armor hardened its last layer making Nikolai into a walking tank.  
I walked forward and the earth shook from my heavy steps; I shrank down to normal size, I faced down my opponent; she wore a simple hoodie and tattered jeans, with a smile she stepped forward, I looked into her fragile eyes and purity… she was beautiful, olive skinned; around five or so feet tall. She fell on her ass and looked at me fearfully… I scooped up ten corpses from the ground and swallowed them whole solidifying my state for the next ten minutes; I chewed on the bones and decaying tissues, I gulped down my snack and looked at her… “Tasty”. The expression turned to anger as I stomped downward and she rolled out of the way; I slashed downward and squashed her like a bug underneath my blade, I pulled back to dodge a group of tendrils. She moved forward like a wild beast, striking at every opening in my defense; I swatted her to the ground and crushed her under my foot, I torched the ground and looked at the torched remains of my opponent. I bent down and ate what was leftover, a little burnt but still just as good. I wiped the bloody smear off my mouth, my armor and swords faded away; my opponent materialized in front of me with her hand piercing through my stomach, “I’m Natasha… what’s your name”; she whispered into my ear, digging her hand further into my intestines; she squeezed and pulled her hand out, the wound was infected and turned into a sickly green. I absorbed the poison into my blood and healed the wound, I looked at her and clapped my hands, squashing her head like a grape; I grabbed her by the neck and pulled out the vertical smear ripping out her spine from the rest of her body. I tossed the remains and looked at the twitching heap; I turned my back as her head grew back, she thrust her fist into my back and grabbed my heart. “Give up, I don’t want to kill you again”. Behind me I heard crackling as her body crystalized into amber from touching my innards, I walked forward and the wound sealed; I turned and looked at the statue. The expression of anger was burned on Natasha’s face, I wrapped my guardian around my right arm and formed a deep red shell of magma on my arm; I slammed down my fist and shattered statue into dust. “Stay down, I’m done fighting”. I walked over to the gate and caught a tendril in my hand as it was to skewer my brain, I spun around and ripped the tendril out of her back and tossed it aside. I moved back to the center of the ring in a blur of dust, I transformed back into the beast from earlier and smashed all of my arms downward pounding Natasha into a bloody pulp. I kept hammering away until she was turned into a bloody stain on the ground, she raised her fist to the sky and I smashed her in the chest making the ground erupt in fire; I crushed her remains and scattered her ashes. I changed back into flesh and blood, I formed my rifle and waited for her to reform; she was eagle spread and unconscious, her purple hair flowed freely; I watched as the wounds on her body sealed shut; underneath her regular clothes she wore a regenerative nanofiber combat skinsuit, the skinsuit patched itself; I bent down looked at her biometrics, “Stable”. I put the rifle on my back and turned around to have a sniper barrel pointed at the back of my head, I grabbed the sniper rifle and pointed the muzzle downward; tearing it out of her hands I swung around and smashed the stock into the side of Natasha’s head, I tossed the rifle back to the ground and felt her arms wrap around my leg, “Why can’t I touch you… why damn it, why”! I felt her tears wet my cargo pants, “Your bloodlust has consumed you… that’s why you are doomed to fail against me; a warrior is a person who dedicates their life to protecting those who cannot protect themselves”. “Only the strong survive in this world”. She stepped back and drew her sword, she downward, I deflected blow with a back hand; I formed a reticle under our feet, “Then you are weak, fall before me”. I shifted my feet and formed a spear over us from the scattered brimstone from earlier, I hardened my body and swung my arms downward, I propelled myself out of the way and impaled Natasha through the head with my spear cleaving her in half.  
I walked away from the epicenter and reformed the original arena, I turned the brimstone underneath me into dust and absorbed it back into my body. Natasha looked toward the sky, with her guardian manifesting itself and stitching her body back together; “I never lost to anyone, how did you beat me”? I pointed my cleaver between her eyes and tapped my blade at the center of her forehead, “I am Nikolai; a titan… a being of war… mortals cannot expect to beat me with losing their life”. She formed a large snake like tail and stood on her feet, “I can’t quit… not yet”. “Come… follow through your destruction”. She rushed me and I slid past her, I stomped on her tail and cut it off with my cleavers, I stabbed my swords through her back and sliced her body in half; stabbing both halves of her body I touched the handles of my swords and flicked the gore off of my swords, I sheathed my blades and looked downward; Natasha reformed and dropped to her knees as I pressed my hands together; my body seethed with power, the madness inside me festered, I only saw red; “Forgive me”, she said with tears streaming from her eyes; the expression of despair grew on her face, she looked at me with sheer terror; “Bow before your master”. I held my sword above my head and looked at the sniveling child before me, “Tell me why I should spare you”! I slashed downward and stopped my blade at her scalp, I cooled off my rage and sheathed my sword. “No more… no more”. Natasha whispered to herself as she rolled into a ball, she cried and howled in agony as my gaze burned into her soul, I walked over to her and kicked her stomach. “Die”; like a rabid dog I sent her flying across the space into the iron bars of her team’s gate. She hit with a loud clang and all the noise stopped, I sealed my power and turned toward my gate.  
I watched Nikolai walk back into the lobby, “That’s the power of a master barbarian”. I exclaimed, “Why so surprised, this isn’t even one percent of my total power Ashton”. I felt him pat my back, “I’ll protect what we have… I can promise that”. “You and Astoria are the only witnesses to my real strength I prefer we keep it this way, by the way good luck on your match”. I stared at Nikolai, the excess power still bled off him; the floor cracked as he walked toward his quarters. “Just what the hell is he”? Draco asked me walking out from the corner of the lobby, “I don’t know… I’m afraid of what happens if he gets pissed off”. I imagined the world exploding, and Draco looked me with the same disturbed expression; “Yeah let’s not blow up the world we call home”. “Ashton, keep an eye on him”. “Fine, good luck out there”.  
I walked out in the arena and looked at the score board, “Three to four… this is bad”. “Louis, Elaine, Ragnarok, Thane, Astoria, Nolan, Nikolai, Me, Lex, and then Ashton”. I looked at my opponent, it was the team medic; “No not her, anyone but her”. The angel of grace: Diana, I’m so fucked right now”.  
We walked toward the center of the arena, looking into each other’s eyes we were terrified yet intrigued at what we found. She punched forward and I grabbed her arm, twisting it back I extended my leg and kicked her thigh. I crushed the back of her left knee with my foot; I wrapped my arms around her neck and placed her in a choke hold, she tapped out and I let go. “Draco, my dear brother… you should treat your sister with more love than that”. I dodged her straight and punched her elbow dislocating her lower arm; I tackled her to the ground. “Still pretty, and psychotic; just like me”. I sat on her back and wrapped my right leg around her shoulder, crack; Diana reset her body, she spun around loosening her limbs slipping from my grip she spring kicked my stomach, with a headspin she got back on her feet. I hopped up to my feet and put up my fists, she took the same stance and jabbed forward, I matched her fist; she spun backward and went for a roundhouse, I blocked the kick with my arm and grabbed her leg, smashing my elbow into her knee; her leg bent down and I followed up with a haymaker to her face. I held her to the ground and wrapped my hands around her throat; “Stay down”. I throttled her and shook her by the neck, smashing her skull into the ground; I strangled her as she reached for my throat with a sedative, she jammed her syringe into my throat and kicked me off her. I blocked off her fist and tucked under left hook, I punched her abdomen and I stepped back to catch her from falling over, Diana straightened up and breathed heavily. She staggered forward and punched my chest, she fell on her knees; she beat on my chest with weakening punches, “Damn it… just let me win for once”. I raised my leg above her head and positioned my heel, I swung down and smashed her skull with the heel of my black loafer, spun around and kicked the side of her head, she hit the ground and she pressed her hands into the dirt. Diana stood back up; straightening her jaw, she pulled her out luger, she aimed at my heart. “Go ahead, just remember I get a shot too”. The pistol round tore through my clothes and hit me dead center in my heart; I pulled out my KSG; chambering a blank with the pump I aimed at her head, bang. She closed her eyes at the loud noise, “You’re really that stupid”. I leaned forward and hugged her, she fell into my arms; I gave her a kiss and looked her cherry red eyes, “The only woman I’ll ever love”. Diana shanked my side, with her scalpel as she licked my neck; “I wonder if this is incest”? “What do you think”? I pushed her back and dodged her crazed swing; I caught her by the wrist; getting behind her I kicked in her knees, with a chop I downed her to the ground. She drooled as I knocked her out, she grabbed my ankle and I turned around; “How the tables have turned”, I felt the tears well in my eyes. I sat down next to her, “Forgive me for leaving you”. I embraced her and felt the tears stream out of my eyes, “You and I are not of one blood, but you are closest semblance I have of family… you have taught me right and wrong. Dear friend and sister, I have missed you have you missed me”? The sedative kicked in, and fell into her arms; her skin was warm and I dreamt back to happier days, “I will always love you”. My world turned to black, I felt a sharp pain in my throat before I lost all feeling; I fell for the oldest trick in the book… how stupid am I? My warped back to a time, before I became a psychopath, before I forgotten what means to be alive… right now, if weren’t for Thane, I’d be very lonely and empty inside. There are days where I scream to find the thing to fill the hole in my heart: Diana meant everything to me, before she crushed my heart and left me to dry. If only I hadn’t a soft spot for the abandoned kids, no that’s why he’s loves me; says I’m more mother than father figure.  
I staggered up and let go of Diana, my vision and hearing started to fade, I shook off the effects of the sedative and clapped my face to get some feeling back; I caught the first punch and felt her punch my stomach, I blocked the following knee; she pulled back and went for a cartwheel, I grabbed her heels and pushed her off balance, I dreamt back to how we first met; Diana was like a newborn puppy in the rain, the skies poured heavily that day. I walked down the alley and found her, she was rolled into a ball and bleeding out; I rushed over and sealed the large gash in her stomach, taking her in my arms I rushed down the streets to my hovel in the subway. The details are starting to escape me at the moment, I fell on one knee and bent down to dodge her punch, I shot myself forward and wrapped my arms around her waist; I tackled Diana to the ground, I pinned her by the arms; looking into her eyes, I saw the same pitiful child; the grief and loneliness in heart poured into my eyes, but what followed suit was something I had longed to find as well: a place to belong, a person who love what you are. I let go and stumbled backwards, the heel of my shoe caught a pebble and I tripped backwards; Diana stood above me with her luger pointed at my head, “You and I really are alike… that’s why it so much to pull the trigger”. Damn, I’m at the end of my rope; normally bullets won’t kill me, but this time my healing’s been shut off. “You never loved did you, was I good for your ego”? “Of course I loved you”. “Then why did you leave me… Diana you don’t destroy the people you’re in love with”. I saw her eyes tear up: “Shut up, what the hell do you know about me”. I rolled out of the way to dodge the first shot and staggered back up, shot in the knee I ran forward and threw my weight behind my punch, I knocked Diana to the ground; I clawed out the bullet in my kneecap and crushed her chest with my foot, with the second stomp she coughed out blood and I no longer heard her cries of agony. I stumbled back and felt the second wave of the sedative, no it was a paralytic neurotoxin; for a moment I froze in place, all of my senses remained; Diana got on her feet and wiped the bloody smear off her mouth, she forward with a scalpel in hand started to cut away at my limbs, “ninety-nine cuts to go… don’t worry I’ll make nice and slow… just for you”. For a moment all of time froze: it was just the two of us, Diana sliced away at my flesh, my being, my sanity for seemed like an eternity… in the eyes of bystanders Diana would have been moving far beyond what the eyes could perceive as possible. The last cut was to my throat, my vision blacked and was on the ground, with my limbs hanging limp; my eyes cleared but my ears were still clogged, I faced her devilish smile, she sat down on my chest and poked the center of my forehead with her scalpel. I fell on my knees and was laid on my back, I felt her lips brush against mine as I lost consciousness; before everything faded out again, my ears cleared out. “Rest in peace”.  
I woke up in the lobby with Thane and Astoria tending to my wounds, they looked into my eyes and let out a breath of relief. My head was groggy, but I knew I was out danger for the time being; everyone else except for Nikolai and Lex was present in the lobby, “Fucking hell… Ow… Ow”; Astoria helped me into a sitting position, I put my legs on the footstool and took a deep breath; I saw the scratches on my skin seal up. “That’s better”, I clapped my face and was jolted awake; I gave Thane a kiss on the cheek and Astoria a hug. “Draco, don’t die on me… for the love of all things good, please don’t die on us”. I popped my wrists back into place and looked at Astoria; she had bloody smears all over her mouth, I leaned and smelled the scent of raw flesh, I got out my handkerchief and wiped her mouth; “You certainly are a messy eater”. “I hope you understand the drawbacks of raw flesh diet… for one you need to floss between your teeth more, and secondly chew your food; I can see the bits you ate trying to crawl out of throat”. Wiping her mouth; she winced holding her cheek, I walked to our quarters; I went into the bathroom, finding my travel bag; I ran on back to Astoria. “Say aw”. She pursed her lips, “Come on open up, it’ll be quick and painless”. Astoria opened her mouth and I little chunks of red; a little piece of bone stuck in her right cheek, “Easy enough”; I got a line of floss; “Close your eyes and relax this is going to sting a little”. As I cleaned between her teeth and got out the fragments of bone shattered between her gums; she started to wince in pain, I placed the bits on a metal dish and brushed her teeth; “All done and clean as a whistle”. Astoria waggled her jaw; “Feeling better”. “Thanks for the checkup”, with a pop she opened her mouth and closed it. “I advise you find better dietician than Nolan, raw flesh is not something a growing girl needs to eat”. “Draco, I can’t eat normal food anymore”. “What are you talking about”? Astoria pulled down her shirt collar and showed the XIII mark; she turned and showed me the tattoo of a scorpion on her neck, “A curse mark”. “The scorpion’s new”. “You can, you just need to acquire the taste for it”. “What’s your favorite food”? She looked at me and smiled, “Candied apples”. “Then we’ll start there”.  
I walked out into the arena and stared at the grey skies, “Beautiful day for a war don’t you think commandant”. “Damien, or is it: Heresy… to me you’re just not a madmen spewing garbage to people who don’t know what’s left from right”. “You’re armies are under my command; there is nothing you can do that save city of yours”. “Morality is not black and white; there are shades of grey, which mortals cannot understand let alone become”. “The masses place their trust in an idol, enjoy it while you can, I intended to destroy what I’ve built to liberate the people, now I know that it is a must”. “Let me have a taste of your wrath then”. I loaded my pistol and faced Damien, he stood as a golden tower burning with magic flames; he breathed out a jet of the flames into the air and roared like a dragon, “Devil… I condemn you to hell”! “Euclid… let’s get to work”.  
It was kind of intimidating to face down a twelve foot tall suit of sentient golden armor, Damien roared like a beast and the arena fell silent. “Lex… embrace your destruction”! The ground flowed freely with his magic, blue shards of concentrated mana sparked to life under our feet; Damien broke off a stalagmite next to him and ate the crystal. I heard his metal teeth grate against each other as he swallowed the bits of mana, he wiped the blue smear on his mouth and I looked into his blazing eyes of fire; he let out a savage cry and manifested bull like horns of fire from his helm; from his chest plate the flames swirled around him as a cloak of fire. He rushed toward me and our fists slammed into each other; my hand cracked from hitting the metal gauntlet, I pulled back my bloodied hand and stepped back to dodge a claw swing toward my stomach. I rolled out of the way to avoid his shoulder charge, “Fuck… fuck… fuck”! I hopped around barely missing each continuous strike, we arrived back at the center of the ring with the field scattered with shards of blue stone. “You fool, mana is much harder to destroy”. Damien gathered the shards into his palms and cupped them forward; a perfect sphere of blue formed from the pebbles, he swung his arms like whips and manifested the mana like liquid sword slicing through the air like a madman. I caught the liquid in my hands and felt them sear from the immense heat, I faced Damien in the eye before head butting him; he staggered back and I punched away at his armor, it’s not possible for flesh to bend steel but it was happening; I felt Damien weaken as I hammered away at his defenses, his greatest weapon now became his greatest weakness. “Anti-magic eh”? Damien stepped back and rushed forward, with his hand stretched forward, a jet of fire propelled him forward and he cocked back his elbow; I bent my knees and went into a slide, the punch rocketed past me, Damien pulled back his arm and raised his leg; he slammed downward and I rolled out of the way. I caught the next fist and threw him over my shoulder with a judo throw, I placed my knee on his chest went for the knockdown hit; my fist slammed into his face plate, his mask cracked and Damien was pressed into the ground; a splash of fire hit me as dust flew everywhere as I pressed him deeper into a crater with my punches, I felt his hands clap around my ears; the smoke screen around us cleared. I staggered to my feet; my ears rang, I slumped over to dodge his first grab at my collar, I straightened up and was left wide open I felt his hands pierce my stomach, he dug in with his claws and grabbed my spine; I felt his hands grip my vertebra, Damien lifted me above his head and tore my body in half; I crawled toward the other piece of me, I felt a cold foot crush the top of my body; “I never understood what it meant to be mortal, so enlighten me worm”! I felt his foot crush my neck, he pulled up his leg and stomped down my skull, I was pounded into the ground; Damien crushed my head flat with the tenth stomp, wiping the bloody smear on his foot across the ground he kicked my lifeless body, tearing open my stomach and letting my guts spill out, he stomped on my guts and turned my insides into mincemeat. I gripped his ankle with my hand and y body slowly reformed, he stomped on me as I pulled myself together; my tissues formed back into my skin and reattached itself to my raw muscles. I pulled myself into a sitting position I faced Damien again as a living cadaver, “You’re not what say you are… why hide”? I stood on my feet and cracked my joints, “No one would forgive me if I cut loose… but today I’ll make an exception for you”. The earth cracked and pressed under our feet, I leveled the arena floor and my body coated itself with white illegible inscriptions; I teleported in front of Damien as he was about to rush me again, “Bow before me”. I grabbed his faceplate and forced him to the ground, I slammed him face first and smashed his shoulders into the ground next; I ripped open the back of his armor and pulled out his spirit, I throttled him before smashing him into the ground, the blue inferno cowered as battered away at him; I looked at him and saw the expression of despair crawl on his face. “Stand on your feet”. I placed him on the ground and threw my fist forward, with a falcon punch I sent Damien flying into the wall in front of me. I appeared in front of a scared little boy; I stopped my fist, when I realized it was a mirror image of who I was as a child; I grabbed Damien by the throat, in my eyes he morphed into my little sister Laura. She struggled and kicked as I clamped my hand around her throat, snap, I clenched my hand around her neck and it broke like a twig. “That’s not possible”. He coughed out as I tossed him to the ground, I smashed my fist into his face; I grabbed his head and smashed the back of his skull back into the ground. “You make me sick… people like you deserve to burn in hell, heretic… never impersonate my family again”! I stood above him; his spirit flickered dimly as I pulled out my pistol from earlier; I cocked the hammer, “Guilty”. I pulled the trigger, and blew off his left leg; the limb faded into dust as it was disconnected from his body. “Guilty”. I blew off his right leg with the second shot, “Guilty”. I blew off his right arm; “Guilty”, his left arm flew off his body, “Guilty”. I tore his torso in half with the fifth shot; “Guilty”! I blew his skull into bloody mess with the last shot, Damien’s flames slithered back together and he crawled back into his shell; I walked over to the shell as I heard his strained breathing as I saw him reach out toward his casing, I kicked over the shell and he placed himself back into his apparatus. He staggered up as the hole in his back closed shut; his knees buckled and he hunched over, Damien manifested a blue fur ball of fire on his tailbone and it flourished into nine scimitar like tails, he swung his tails forward and I parried them with my cestus’s as they shattered on contact. I manifested Euclid around my arm, I shot forward and punched Damien to the ground; his construct faded away and he fell on his knees, I formed Euclid as axe like tail and swung forward; I slammed Damien into the ground and positioned my tail over him like a guillotine. “Stay down”, I slashed downward cleaving his armor in half and ripping his spirit in two; my tail faded away, I looked at the score board four to five; the last match is worth two points, we still got a shot at this. “You… what are you”. Damien staggered back up, “Tell me this… why won’t you die”? “I cannot die, I am cursed to live in an endless cycle; the price for my power”. I stood in front of Damien and leaned into him, I wrapped my arms around him; “You hide behind this armor… you are scared, and insecure of the world; you’re just like me, before I thought of my life as a burden to myself and the world around me… I feared everything that is why I despised life. After meeting these people, I finally a found a reason to keep on living… I found my humanity again and it’s time for you to do the same”, “You might not be flesh and blood anymore but you still have your spirit; that’s more than what most can say, consider yourself lucky and live”. “What the hell do you know about me, shut up”! I let go and he stumbled forward, Damien collapsed on the ground and I looked at Ashton from where I stood; he gave me a thumbs up and grinned like an idiot. I owe you so much, my friend; win and let’s go home I’m sick of fighting.  
I gave Lex a high-five and pat his back as I walked out to face Claire; she stood. Compared to the others, she was a complete beast in terms of strength, she was in a league of her own; her power was sinister, pure chaos… I stared into the maelstrom of a sadist that stood in front of me, a heavy aura of red flowed around her, her thoughts brought out storm clouds above us; they thundered and shot out black lightning bolts as blood poured from the sky, Claire stood in front of me; she wore a crimson ruffled button down long sleeve shirt, her skinny jeans made her figure popped out, sexy and deadly; the black widow. My jacket blew wildly in the howling winds, I looked into her deep blood red eyes; there was no more emotion only the will to kill anything in her path. Her blood crest manifested on her forehead, Claire the vampire queen versus me a street hood wannabe ninja, karma was never on my side… why start now; I drew my swords and faced down my opponent. Claire held her arm forward brandishing a rapier with a rose flower as a hand guard. “En garde”! Claire thrust forward and in a flash I had a large gash on my chest, Claire stood behind me: “You don’t have a chance in hell of beating me… prepare to die”.


	8. Episode Eight: Let it pour

I stood up and let the wound seal shut, “Tell me something: has anyone beaten you before”? “Stop stalling, and just die”. With a backflip, I jumped over Clare’s thrust; she stopped herself and stabbed upward, I connected the point of my sword on top of hers. I stood balanced and jumped off, landing on my feet I took my stance. I held my blades in an X formation, I blocked her next slash and caught her sword between mine; I felt a grin crawl on my lips: “Why are you smiling”? She asked pressing her sword downward just a half an inch away from cutting my shoulder blade, “Then I shall be the first to beat you”. I leapt back and dodged her swing, I spun bringing my arms into me dodging the next thrust I stopped my spin and stepped back to dodge her fist; I turned my back toward her and blocked the next slash with a backhand guard, I turned on my heels and I slashed at her torso; she narrowly missed my strike by going into a slide, I felt the cool tip of her rapier touch my shirt. I paced backward and I dove forward propelling myself in a corkscrew, I stopped in front of her and slashed like a tornado; my attacks were parried flawlessly, when my momentum stopped I sat down in the lotus position, and bounced backwards spinning to land on my feet. I sheathed my swords and pulled out my kunai, I pulled up my pants legs and unclasped the weights on my legs: 100kg ceramic weights for my arms and legs; a 250kg pound ceramic tunic for my torso, worthless for bullet protection but perfect for strength training, “What the hell are you doing”? I shook my arms and legs, the weights appeared as black ceramic sleeves and long johns, I unclasped the weights and they hit the ground with a loud thud, I unhinged the vest and tossed it aside; it fell to the ground and sank into the dirt, “Can you see sound”? I teleported in front Clare and smashed my fist into her face, she bounced off the ground and I kicked her stomach, I sent her flying skyward and I leapt up in the air. I wrapped my arms around her waist and locked her head between my legs, we spun into a drop: I threw us into a piledriver, ten feet from the ground; I threw Clare into the ground first and I crushed her chest with a missile dropkick. On landing, I kicked her stomach and teleported to the other end of the arena, I caught her shirt collar and slid my feet; I let go of her collar and grabbed the back of her head, I slammed her face first into the ground; she skid forward as I leapt and spun like a pinwheel finishing with an axe kick I landed, hitting her neck snapping its base. I stepped off her and felt the fatigue hit my body, thirty seconds… that’s a new record; I felt my legs lock up, now comes the payback… this is going to hurt like a bastard. I clacked my shoes on the ground and released the strain on my legs, I stretched my arms and raised my hands in front of me. Clare stood up staking her sword in the ground, as her wounds healed; “I will never lose”! She screamed as she flashed forward, I caught her sword mid-swing with my kunai, “Neither will I”. I sent an uppercut to her stomach and knocked her into the air, I spun around and kicked up smashing my sneaker in her face, I grabbed her body with my foot and smashed her back first as I snapped back my leg. She coughed out blood and was eagle spread on the ground, “Goodbye”; I formed Zeus over my arm and concentrated Mach Thirty winds around my fist, I bent my knees and smashed my fist into Clare ripping her into a fine crimson mist.  
I let my strength flow freely; my blood boiled inside of me, “My body can’t take much more of this I’m going to kill myself before this is over”. I unlocked the inhibitors in my body and the ground crumpled under my feet, she reformed, Clare snapped her fingers and morphed into full vampire form, she keeled over and her body started to convulse as her muscles rearranged into grotesque clumps, first her leathery wings spread out to a span of fifty feet; she towered above me standing at around twenty feet tall, as her transformation completed her face became like a bat as did the rest of her body, a walking muscular wall stood in front of me; she flexed her black claws and rushed toward me. I leapt up and tornado kicked the thick pulsing vein in her neck, she fell one knee and I smashed my fist into her face; she grabbed my torso as she stumbled backward, I felt my body being crushed as she tightened her grip; I placed my arms between her hand and tore myself free from her grip, I launched myself into her face; punching down her body from the neck up raised itself from the force of my blow; she rolled over and landed feet first, I leapt back using my hand as a spring to dodge her wild swing, I rolled out of the way and barely missed her overhead kick; I caught her heel mid-roundhouse and swung around destabilizing her center of balance, I leapt up and threw Clare back into the ground; I closed the inhibitors in my body as I saw her land in a large explosion of dust, phew… just dodged a bullet; the strain already started taking its effects, no not yet… I’m going to force myself through this, the cramps in my body loosened as I took a deep breath. Clare stood on her feet as she morphed back into her human disguise, she breathed heavily and thrust forward with her sword; I stepped out of the way and leaned into her, I smashed my knee into her stomach and she fell over, I saw the whites of her eyes… she’s reached her limit, so have I. I felt my chest convulse, my heart’s going to give out… well, shit. I placed my hand over my chest; I traced around where my heart should be and fell on my knees, “I’m never doing that again”. I flipped over on my back and saw Ragnarok rush into the arena, he placed me in his arms; putting me over his shoulders he walked me out of the ring; “Let’s go home… I’m getting sick of the underworld”. His voice comforted my doubts of making it through this, I slipped into unconsciousness with smile on my lips, “Hey stay with me: oh forget it… I’ll wake you when we get home”.  
I woke up in my quarters with Elaine sitting by my feet, I sat up and still felt ethereal despite the pain I’ve been through; the normally depressing evening light shone through the windows in a happier tone tonight, “You okay”? I looked at Elaine, “I’m not sure anymore… everything feels so surreal”. I looked to the corner of the room and saw my ceramic weights; the tiles were now aged, cracked and broken, “Why did you wear those… don’t you like being able to move freely”? “It keeps me grounded to life, Elaine I’m a wisp of air when you think about, I wear the weights to give myself a sense of being”. She wrapped her arms around me, “Tell me does that feel real”? Elaine kissed my neck, “Ashton be free and live; fly like the bird you are”. I felt her lips touch mine, for a moment I was left breathless and fell back on the bed; I saw my essence slip out of my mouth, my heart sank into stomach and a full feeling overcame, like someone fed me a feast of salutary food; “Keep me company, would you”? Elaine smiled, she took off her clothes and laid next to me in her velvet lingerie, “Gladly”. She wrapped around me like a second blanket and threw the comforter over us, “No sex… just a nap”. I whispered into her ear, “You’re no fun can’t we just cuddle”? I rested my head on the pillow and drifted into sleep, I held Elaine’s hand; “Dream with me”. I mouthed out, I felt her rest head on my chest; “You’re so soft, it feels like I’m lying a cloud”. I felt her drool slide down to my nipple, “You know I’m not asleep yet”. I looked at her and wiped my chest with the velvet bed sheets, she hugged me tighter; you’re the only one who made me feel like I was worth something, Elaine you’re the only person who made me feel my humanity… thank you. I started drifting off and smiled; I haven’t slept since I was rolled into the operating room for my surgery. I brushed Elaine’s hair and counted sheep: “One sheep… two sheep… three sheep… four sheep… five sheep… six: fuck it I’m out”. I felt a light sting on my neck and went out like a light as Elaine pinched my throat with her left hand; she snored softly and lulled me into my dreams. We sat in our undergarments in a field of white hydrangeas, “Your movements are still so pure. Your innocence… how did you keep it all these years”? Elaine asked as she brushed my hair, I held my hand up to her face; “I’ve stained my soul and hands too much already, Elaine; I’d wish back for my ignorance and bliss but the life I’ve chosen… despite the shit we go through, always has a bright side”. I smelled the scent of mint mixed with crisp mountain air; Elaine scent entered my nose, it was sweet like fresh baked bread and smoky like a fireplace. She laid next to me on a bed of flowers, we stared at the cloudless sky; she rolled over and looked into my eyes, “Ashton, you promise to stay with me”? “Yes”, “What do you see in me”? “I can ask the same, Elaine… both of us we’re alike, we’ve never belonged anywhere except with each other”. Our paradise faded into a twisted hellscape, I looked into the face of a monster; “You and I are the same… Ashton, tell me can you keep her safe, when you can’t even help yourself”. I stood up and watched Elaine fade into dust, I faced my inner demon; “All that red… you think you can just wash that away”? “Why not, I’ve dipped my hands into the sink”. I looked into a mirror image of my current self, “Scary isn’t it… life is so fragile, swear to both of us… that we’d do anything to keep her safe; to keep them safe from all harm; to keep them from dying”. The voice inside me died out as I matched my hand with my copy, my world slowly shattered into a billion pieces; I laid kneeling in an abyss surrounded by the dead bodies of my friends: Is that my role in life: to be a witness when I lose everything I care about. My eyes opened to a dimmer bedroom with the last shades of evening sunlight being overshadowed by the coming night. I woke up with Elaine still hanging, I sighed out a breath of relief. That’s a promise we can’t keep, I don’t know who… I don’t want to know who dies because I couldn’t save them… but I can promise I’ll do my best to protect them.  
Startled awake, I sprang to my feet eyeing the room for any sign of danger; I left the bedside after tucking in Elaine, I gave her a kiss on the forehead and shut off the alarm clock, slipping back into my tattered jeans and grey shirt I walked out the door, gently pulling it shut behind; I walked through the hallway and ended up back in the lobby, I walked behind the bar counter and poured myself a full glass of bourbon equally mixed with absinthe; I downed my concoction, I made myself a second glass and downed the drink taking a seat at the counter. I’m taking a shot in the dark, I hope I don’t die in the middle of this. With my third glass of the mixture, I found myself slumped over on the table; drinking myself out cold, my vision went black.  
The black was replaced by a stark flash of white, I felt the feeling of cold metal on my back, I was shocked awake from my dream, I woke up back in Reico’s clinic or at least a rendition of it; Elaine was no longer at my side, the harsh light from the ceiling blubs reflected of the checkered linoleum tiles beneath my table, my vision focused and I caught the sight of little flecks of red on the floor; I looked closely saw that it was a thin pool of dried blood, I got into a sitting position and placed my feet on the ground; I reached for my chest and found a gaping hole there, I pulled back and saw a hand stained with dried blood. I was alone in the operating room, I forced the wound shut and doubled forward landing my on knees; “Christ that hurts”. I staggered to my feet, and looked at metal table with my belongings on it, I walked over slowly gaining back feeling in my body; I found my wallet and a bloodied scalpel, I looked over to my right and saw fresh change of clothes with a note from Elaine on my t-shirt: I put on the change of clothes, and looked at scribbled note. I looked at the unintelligible letters scrawled out: You’re sleeping in your grave. It was my handwriting, fucking hell that was close.  
I heard the doors swing open behind me, Good… time to end this. I took the scalpel and gripped it making my knuckles turn white, “Black swan; you’ve certainly passed my expectations”. I stared into black void that was beyond the doorway, I heard the creaky turning of a wheelchair moving toward me. “Chaos is reined by order, Clare… you will die here and now”. I walked into the dark and shut the doors behind me, I saw Clare’s psyche in front of me, it was broken young girl locked up in a straightjacket, she sat in a wheelchair with burns marring her body; she raised her hand and reached for her rebreather, “Save me”. She rasped, I walked up to her and sliced her throat; I tackled her into the ground and hacked away her, ripping her flesh from her face. I cut her major veins, and watched as her blood spilled out to the floor, the black around us faded into light, I cringed at the sight of her disfigured face; she let out horrific screams as I continued to cut away at her, for what seemed like an eternity I kept stabbing away, until her cries of agony faded into nothing with her, Clare’s psyche faded into dust with one last stab to the heart.  
I ended back in the arena, I stood in a web of chaotic threads lined with my memories all twisted out of order; little scribbles of madness crawled up and down the threads pecking away my being: Clare Roux… The Black Swan, it was an honor to fight you, in the center of web Clare and I stood facing each other locked in place; gazing through our own minds… daydreaming our greatest wishes. I broke free from the threads, and the webs around us crashed to the ground fading back into nothing; I drew my kunai and faced Clare as her dreams were cut short, she awoke first and walked toward me slowly, she looked at me first in confusion and then in complete terror as her eyes saw the wounds I inflicted upon her psyche, I saw her eyes roll in her head. She fell on her knees; doubling over as the cuts from her mental state appeared on her body, standing over Clare’s bloodied body; her blood pooled around us as she fell face first into the dirt. A dream within a dream… I looked at my hands, covered in scratches and stained with blood. I wiped my hands clean on my trench coat, the scratches disappeared and my hallucination was finally over.  
Her wounds closed and she looked at me shaking her head in denial, “You almost had me there”; I leaned in and kneeled beside her, looking into her face, I saw an expression of disbelief: “How did you break my hold on you”. “What are you”? I grabbed her by the collar and brought her to her feet, “I’m done fighting”. I flecked the blood of my kunai and placed it back in my leg sleeve, “Correction it’s…who are you”. “It’s Alpha team and don’t you forget it”. I cocked back my arm; I manifested Zeus and charged the air around my fist, I grounded myself into the earth attracting the ceramic armor back to my body; I punched forward and broke through the sound barrier, I watched as Clare was sent flying into the other side of the arena smashing through her sides locker room; she hit the metal gate leading up to her waiting quarter, I collapsed her teams side of the waiting room on top of her, I let the armor ground me into existence, my apparatus glued my real form back into life. I felt my flesh and blood again, “Thank god that’s over… I hate being a walking cloud”. I let my feet solidify, instantly the strain from my fight clenched the hemorrhaging wounds inside me and I fell over, I landed on my knees and fell on my face, shit… I felt my heart constrict inside of my chest… can’t die… not yet; slowly the pain faded into something more tolerable, I stood up, planting one fist into the ground, I rose to one knee and staggered up on both feet. I watched in awe as Clare flew out of the wreckage in reverse, the building fixed itself and was made new; she literally just reversed time… so that is the power of vampire queen. Clare landed on her feet just before I sent her flying, her knees straightened back up and she prop herself up with her rapier; she closed my jaw with a upward palm to my chin, “To resort to my trump against a monkey like you… Ashton… you will die my by hand”. I stepped back to dodge a wild swing of energy seeping out of her back, it hardened into a single tail with multiple spikes on it; Clare doubled over as two sparking bulbs of fire started to form out of her back, they manifested into a blazing pair of feathered wings, her body glowed red as ink markings spread out from her chest, the markings formed into illegible symbols of the vampiric language her hands; as I saw the marks light up underneath her clothes, her forehead was painted by six diagonal black lines pointing downwards formed around her temple, she tore off the tattered mess of frills that was her shirt and revealed a sweater made of chain mail. She flexed her hands into claws and her arms were coated with a sickly orange colored flame, as she bent down to strike forward on her head two black horns curled into a streamlined crown and face shield. “Come to me… embrace your last moments as a warrior”.  
This is a bluff, she’s past her limit… anymore fighting and she’ll die at my feet. I blocked her kick with my arm and stepped out the way to dodge her fist; I caught her next punch, twisting her arm I dislocated it from her shoulder with a quick chop. I caught her kick and twisted her foot, I smashed my elbow into her knee, and spun around kicking her in the face with a 180 degree turn; I ducked under her fist and punched her in the side cracking three of her ribs, I kicked in her knees, bending her arm behind her head; I let go of her fist and kicked her in chest, she hit the ground back first and remained still gazing into my eyes, “Just end it already… I want to get this crappy taste of out of my mouth”. “I’m done, you don’t deserve the blessing of ignorance Clare; you should know a warrior never stops growing, whoever they are. You’ve killed so many that you forgotten who you are… blood runs deep in your soul staining every part of you, you’re afraid of losing what little you have; you’ve lost so much in your life, but you can’t live in denial for the rest of your years. It’s time to heal, it’s time to move on; forgive yourself and be free”. I stuck my hand out and helped to her feet, “I always thought that defeat made you weak, and the weak were to be eradicated out of life; you’re weaker than I am, yet you won… how”? “Strength is not a measure of own power to strike down an opponent, it is the measure to hold back from crossing the line”. “You’re too soft for your own good”, Clare said as sheathed her rapier; she released her transformation and faced toward her side of the arena, “How odd is it that fate has lined us to meet like this”? “There is no fate or coincidence… only existence and what you make of it”. “I suppose that life isn’t just a predestined rollercoaster ride, you know there is more than what is on the surface; it is a journey of countless steps through and through”. “What do you live for then”? “I want to be able protect those I hold dear, I’ve lost too many people I love; I want to prevent more innocent from being spilled”. “Get strong for me… I want to see you at your best, the next time we fight”. “Join us for one more meal this evening before you leave for home, my crew seems to have taken a liking to you and your friends”. We looked at the scoreboard: 6 to 5, “You have won your freedom, Ashton”. I faced toward my gate, stopping in my tracks. “Clare you’re not alone, speak to your team… they’re your family you know”. I looked at her face and saw it flush into a rosy color, a teardrop of blood streamed from her left eye; I saw something flicker in her eyes, a spark of hope; “My faith in life can now begin again”. I saw a light smile creep on her lips, we parted ways, not the battle I expected… life is not one string of continuous events, it grows and adapts to every choice we’ve made or are to make…that’s the beauty of it, to progress and grow regardless where you’ve went wrong.  
I walked into the waiting room, I sat down on the recliner and stared into the ceiling: Did I get lucky, did we get lucky? Or did we really beat them at their own game? Hell I don’t know anymore, I just want to leave this behind me. Elaine sat in the chair with me, squeezing between me and the left armrest; she gave me a kiss on the cheek, the real feeling of warm flesh seeped into my being and I embraced the quiescence of the moment; I felt a tear stream down my cheeks, “You still want to stick with me”? I forced out the words as they choked me, Elaine pressed a finger against my lips, “If I haven’t told you before… this is my home now, you’re my family along with everyone else we’ve taken in”. She wrapped her arms around me: “Don’t leave me, I don’t want to be alone anymore”. “So that’s what you’re afraid of”. “Elaine, I can’t say I won’t die on you, but for as long I am alive; I’ll do my best to be with you”. She wiped the tears on my face, “Let’s be alone together”. I felt something light up inside me, I felt my heart defrost and heard the beat as I fell asleep on the chair, with Elaine wrapped around me. I blankly stared up to the ceiling as I looked inside myself; it’s a time for introspection, despite how I may act, I’m far from happy you could go as far and say I’m a total wreck inside. The hardest thing about being an assassin, is where to draw to the line… another way to put it far will you go to get the job done; I’ll be completely honest when I say I know I’m on the wrong side of it all. I drifted into sleep; around me a wide corridor of white void, something inside me willed my feet forward and I followed with my footsteps echoing off the floors, slowly the walls around me became narrower and tighter; I placed my back on the wall and kept going until my hand felt a thin block of wall. I reached closer until I had no more room, I saw words: “Dead End”.  
“Isn’t it nice”, Reico’s voice echoed inside my head, I woke up slumped over the bar counter in the memorial; my vison and hearing cleared; I was clearheaded and calm despite being dead for the last few days, the ceiling fan above us lazily spun and I looked out the windows to see the evening light; it was just the two of us: Reico sat next to me leaning back on his chair with his feet propped up on the counter; he took off the white and silver striped tie around the collar of his mint green half-sleeve button down shirt, he looked at his khaki pants creasing out two folds, he sat up straight; reaching to his shirt pocket and passed me the silver key to the building, “The keys to your kingdom”; “what’s this about”? “I’m entrusting the memorial in your hands”. I felt the key in my hand; it was warm and full of life, “You’re leaving aren’t you”. “Sorry, I can’t play guardian for you guys anymore; I got my own family to look after”. “Fae aren’t immortal, we die just like anyone else it’s only a matter of when; our guardians are our lifelines, like anything else enough pressure is bound to snap the ties, severing the anchors linking us to this world. I’m asking you now to watch over them; keep the ones you love safe, I know there are things inside you want to get rid of, this is how to do it”. “Reico, all the people I’ve loved died in my arms; how do you know they won’t end up the same”? “You don’t, that’s why you try to keep them alive”. “This wasn’t the type of therapy I’d expected, you don’t force a man to jump into the fire after he got burned from touching it”. “I’ve watched you for a long time, don’t you think it’s time to let go of your grief and move on; you’re never alone, stop holding on to the emptiness inside you”. “It all starts here… take the first step”. I felt pain inside start to wake up, “Teach yourself to let go”. Grief is a poison sweetened by revenge, now the purging can begin… this is going to hurt like hell. I was back in a circular room; the stark white tiles irritated my eyes as I focused my vision, I looked around us and saw the soft grey velvet drapes line the ceiling, sitting with Reico, face to face; I looked into the pained eyes of my friend, surprised at what he said, “It’s not your fault”, “Those people by all means deserved what they sowed”. “Exorcise the demons of out you, Ashton you need to find peace within; don’t hold on to your grief; let go of what’s killing you”. Reico handed me a manila file, I opened the folds and saw cluster of fifteen faded pictures: I knew they were all of the people that died by my hands; all of the people I tried to set right, my failures, I looked into their blacked out faces once again; I started tearing up; cold tears streamed as I felt my blood boil, “You’ve never accepted what you’ve done… look at them and see if you can forgive yourself”. I held one of the greyed out pictures; I flipped the paper and saw the coordinates of the location: E 40, NW 10. “Ashton, I don’t expect you to go through with this; but free these souls”. I gripped the handles of my swords; “These are the last locations I’ve fought them, the graves I made for them; I’ve killed them once, I’m not killing them for good, they deserve to suffer for what they’ve done”. I stood up and turned my back on Reico, “Let them fester in limbo”. “You’re going to let their spirits linger in the world of the living”? I walked forward: “Leave me out of this, Reico what I’ve decided for them was their punishment, I heard his footsteps; “Don’t you want to wash their blood off your hands”? I drew my sword and held it at his throat, “Muramasa and Masamune, are the swords I used to kill these people; all of their souls remain trapped on this plain because of me, I don’t intend to free these people from their prisons… I what did is final, there is no compromise for my penance”. I drew my swords and faced Reico, “The weight of their grief is ingrained into my swords, my penance is the thing that grounds me from fading into nothing; it gives me purpose to keep on living to find out why I am”. I pressed my thumbs on the flat edges of the blades, and sheathed my swords: turning my back I walked into the desolate white in front of me; “I’m not going to do this, at least not yet; you’re asking me to permanently destroy a soul, the very essence of a person, that is the ultimate price to pay; these souls have repaid their debts to the world with their punishments; no one deserves to die completely”. “Absolve them of what they’ve become, I’m begging you; these souls are restless and need to be put down”. “You put down a rabid beast, not someone who could redeem themselves”; “Ashton, they’re not the people they were, whatever humanity in them has been altered into an abomination”. “Answer me something: will they be reverted to a bygone state before I had to put them down in the first place”? “Will purifying them give those people another chance at living”? He stood silent; I looked at the solemn expression edging the lines in his face as he chose his words, “Reico, I’ll do as you ask if you can cleanse them and bring them back to life”. “Wouldn’t it be easier to destroy them completely”? “No, this is the only way I can find closure; I’m not out for their blood, I killed them as punishment for their crimes; this way I know I can save them from this fate, this is the only way I know that I can forgive myself for taking their lives in the first place”. “This is just like you. I expected you to carve your way out of a sea of spilled blood, but not like this; Ashton a corrupt soul can be made new, your swords are meant for severing ties of existence; you expect to the opposite of what you’d normally do; why take the chance”? “I’m doing this for myself, I want to know that I’ve become someone that can be loved again; I want to know what means to show compassion”. “Didn’t you say that your judgment was final”? “So willing I can change fate itself with these swords, to change the outcome into what I desire. “I’ve changed my fate countless times with these swords; there are many bullets that should’ve gotten me; each time I ended up dodging what would’ve been my last day on this earth. Don’t get me wrong I’ve accepted the fact that I will die and answer for the things I’ve done; but I’ve carved away deaths hold on me to many times to throw in the towel, so tell me why I can’t I do the same for someone else”. “True, that’s why I desire you; I wish to know why you’re death proof”. “I am creature that thrives on calamity, madness, sorrow; death is the cure for all things that plague our existence, the rest of world kneels before me as they succumb into their last state before passing on; yet there are those that can defy my hold on your life, the threads that cannot not be cut like yourself and your friends, countless times they’ve come so close to dying; yet they remain, subsist, and end up growing stronger than they were, those few that defy my hold are the next in a twisted line of evolutions; we are free from destiny, people like us scare me because there’s no permanent and defined end for us; doing nothing it simply is an endless existence of boredom, I know you fight for thrill of it; I reap souls for the same reason, but to see life after life to interminably experience the same cycles that is bound to drive the living, the ones we love into the ground, drives me insane and frustrates me to no end to know that I am helpless to watch the ones that I care about die and leave me behind”. “I know what it means better than anyone to lose everyone you’ve ever cared about, to watch them die right in front of you leaving you helpless to do anything about it; Reico, I could never forgive myself letting those people die under my watch; tell me something why do we keep doing the same over and over, it’s insanity yet we try and try hoping to change the inevitable; one of these days I’m going to die, and I’ll be on the other side of the abyss, leaving my friends behind… the way we look at things, there shouldn’t be a point in continuing to live”. “I suppose, tell me did you ever wonder why you exist, Ashton; why there is no set path for us to follow”? “People like us aren’t meant to have a destiny as a birthright, you and I; all of the people like us, are responsible to ourselves to make life mean something to us”. “We envy those who can live and die in ignorance because everything we know is as stable as a mound of sand; our decisions ebb and flow to match the end we make for ourselves, our lives aren’t meaningless by any definition; the point of living this kind of life is to define what existence means to you, in the end it’s all up to the individual to leave behind their legacy”. “Nihilism is the only philosophy I’ve accepted until now, but as I contented as I was to have the belief that things could be at rest when it’s all gone; left me feeling very empty, deep down no one wants to see anyone die, no one wants to die; we’re all bred with a certain desire to be remain alive, and preserve what we are; I’m a hypocrite, I’ve taken countless lives and broke so many of the people left behind, yet I’m not willing to die for my own crimes”. I saw the tears well in his eyes, he fell on his knees; for a brief moment I saw the condition of my being in the reflection of his eyes, a gaunt and haggard man; broken to his core, I looked at my own bloodshot eyes; I moved forward and wrapped my arms around Reico, I fell on my knees with him; “This is why we venture into insanity, in the hope that we can love and open up to the world again, that we try to hold onto to our humanity no matter how damaged it may be; we try over and over not to feel dead inside; that maybe for once we can change the course of things and not watch everyone we care about die needlessly, we are fateless because we have the power to change destiny and shape it into something worth living for”. “Come hell or high water, if I quit; I deny everything that I am and leave everything I know behind me, at that point; is when I die completely”. I felt his tears flow onto my shoulders, “Your words have cut deeper than any blade, Ashton I’ve been running on empty for a long time; I don’t think I can carry on living anymore, I’ve lost too much to fool myself into thinking that I can change the course of things”. “You’re not a tragic hero, so stop acting like it; I know deep down that both of us wants to protect the people we love, yet we can’t protect ourselves”. "Abandon your fears and be free; I’m not asking you to forget what has happened, I’m asking you to move on”.  
I took a seat on the lobby floor; pushing away the bar stools, I leaned myself against the front board of the countertop, I threw off my tunic and tore open my undershirt; the scent of fresh blood and decaying flesh radiated heavily from my deep wounds, I looked at my arms and legs; my eyes opened in fear, when did this happen to me; I’m clawed to bits; I kept my distance from her… didn’t I? Nothing could’ve pierced through my skin, no it wasn’t a pierce; it’s her blood doing this. I saw my opponent from earlier walk in the lobby from the open staircase at the front of the waiting lobby, “Finally figured it out have you”? Natasha chuckled as she juggled a knife in her hands, “Not so tough are you now”; she pressed her stiletto heel into one of the larger gashes in my chest, “My ultimate weapon is my blood, a toxin that I’ve used to bring down titans, dear you’ve played into my trap beautifully”, she dug in her heel deeper into my wound; “Nikolai, knew that I was at a disadvantage from the start, I’ve never wanted to beat you in the first place, hell I wasn’t even trying against you; all I wanted was to do was kill you slowly; watching you rot away brings me the greatest joy; take solace that this pain will end in three minutes time, say your peace and come to grips”. I felt the strength slip out of my body, “The pain your feeling is real”; my limbs fell limp, I stared into Natasha’s cold and unfeeling eyes; for a moment I saw something flicker behind her piercing teal irises, “The first symptom is apathy… Nikolai, I exist to destroy everything that a person is”. My emotions started to become numb, one by one my emotions started to quiet down; I started to lose all sense of who I am, my thoughts became fuzzy and I heard static in my ears. My vision started to fade into black, I caught a glimpse of her smile as she turned her back, her footsteps echoed as she walked out of the lobby. I lost consciousness and sat in the deepest part of my soul; I stood on a pool of still blood, “Pride comes before the fall, Nikolai”. I saw Typhon stand in front of me, a white haired man with six arms and red skin, we faced each other eye to eye; “Accept the nightmare you harbor in your heart, accept me and be free from the burden”. I let go of my will and fell into a cocoon of warmth as I let my back sink into the blood, “I can never accept this side of me, I’ve caused so much destruction before; I don’t wish to ruin the world around me”. “You’ve come to accept this world as your home, you are a titan by birth; claim what is yours”. I closed my eyes, “Have no fear, we have no intent of destroying our home; all we have is only the intent to preserve what we can”. I sank deeper into the pool; the viscous liquid enveloped around me and I closed my eyes to the world, I felt myself sink into a more fluid kind of depth; now the pool flows clearer; sleep in despair, wake in serenity. My world slowly became black and I placed myself in suspended animation within my soul; I need to heal, I can let go of this body yet. I got up from the ground, my wounds slowly sealed shut and the poison in my system sweat out of skin, my body moved by itself, step by step; I forced myself to my quarters, pushing open the door, I fell on the ground and laid on my back; my breathing eased and the remaining poison exited my body, I saw the drips of orange liquid evaporate as I sweat them out of me; I won’t die not just yet”.  
I popped my jaw and stood up from the chair after Draco and Thane went to their quarters, I heard my stomach growl; I smelled something sweet, earthy even; it was Nikolai. I followed the smell and entered our quarters, I saw him lying on the ground as his wounds slowly; I can’t eat you, no matter how much I want to, I won’t ever eat you. I went into the bathroom and got out a roll of bandages and disinfectant, I kneeled next Nikolai; I cleaned the rotten skin and drew out the remaining poison festering in the gashes; I watched his muscles regrow up to the surface, I wrapped the surfaces of the deep cuts on his limbs and torso; I sealed them with adhesive patches, I got up on my feet; “You didn’t have to do this”. Nikolai sat up and placed himself in the lotus position, before standing up on his feet; “you know that I always do the right thing for the wrong reasons, Nikolai; I want to retain the part of me that I was, I don’t want to lose anymore of myself”. I felt his arms wrap around me, “I will always love you regardless of what you’ve become”. I was lifted on his shoulders; I rested my legs around his neck, “I’m not a kid anymore, Nikolai”. “You’re always a baby to me”. “This sure brings back memories”. I dreamt back to when I was kid, and Nikolai always put me on his shoulders; he’d just walk aimlessly in the halls in Harvey’s hospice until I fell asleep, I rested my arms on his head; Nikolai walked into a large open space separate from our living quarters, it was a courtyard lit up by the night’s stars; “Astoria if I were die… would you miss me”. “Of course I would”, I felt my insides churn from my hunger; I held myself back: No… no… I won’t harm him, not after everything he’s done for me; the memories we shared flashed before, I felt my tears stream from eyes; please Nikolai I don’t want to kill you, something gave way: “I need to eat” I whispered to myself; all my reasoning slipped out of my fingers, and I felt something wake up inside; I opened my mouth and sank my teeth into the back of Nikolai’s neck; his flesh and blood tasted like dirt, I spit out the fragments of rock in my mouth and leapt off his neck; he slipped through my fingers, he slowly disintegrated into fine grains of rock, I went on all fours and formed a pair stingers from my tail bone, “Golem self-destruct”. I watched in horror as Nikolai crumbled to dust; the grains ignited into a bright flash of light; the bloodied bandages dropped on his ashes; as the smoke cleared I saw a tall ape dressed in dressed in a battle kilt, he beat his bare chest with his hands taking off his plain silk vest; he drew a single cleaver leaving the rest stored away, he brandished the same sword as Nikolai, he took a broad stance and held the sword with both hands, “That was simply a copy of myself”, “You have befriended my golem, how amusing; that my creation has taken a life of its own”. “How does that feel to lose the one closest to you”? I felt my rage boil my blood, I coughed out blood as I formed six more stingers out of my back, “I’m going to make a bloody mess of you”! I shot forward pressing my legs into the ground; I dodged a cleaver swing by sliding on my knees, I got behind my opponent; he dashed forward and rolled to the left to dodge my stingers, I pounced forward and was stopped by a upper cut to my stomach, I felt my stomach break from the impact of his fist, “Listen well child, you did something unforgivable; taking that part of my humanity is your first sin; your second sin is making me forget who I am”. I was lifted above his head and smashed into the ground; my back broke the cobblestone tiles, as I was repeatedly slammed down into an ever deepening crater, my guardian disintegrated into blue specs with the last punch; “Your last sin, is changing my name, my identity”. He pointed the cleaver at my throat, and raised it above his head, I closed my eyes in fear as he slashed down; I opened them waiting as I was supposed to die, lines of darkness held him back and forced him to place the sword on his back. “Now leave the girl alone”. I heard Nolan’s voice; the crater slowly leveled out, as Nolan circled in front of our opponent forcing him to flatten out the crater by controlling his shadow, “Hey Astoria, who’s our friend”. He broke through the binds and rushed Nolan, I was lifted by the arm and placed in Nolan’s arms, he stepped back to dodge a wild downward swing; placed on my feet, “Are you alright”? We drew our swords and rushed forward, our blades caught in his cleaver, “That toy has expired, I had no more use for it; your memories of him entertain me, but like all musings the novelty always wears off”. We were pushed back by his roar, and knocked on our asses as he slammed down his blade between us causing a miniature earthquake; he stomped his foot and held his sword close to his body, letting out another war cry; he rushed forward manifesting a second cleaver in his left hand, Nolan and I rushed forward, we sliced down from both sides and had our blades stopped mid-swing; the man spun and threw us into the opposite ends of the courtyard, I watch Nolan smash into a fountain shaped as an angel; the stone crashed on top of him as he splashed into the water, I was impaled into a grate of wild brambles; he approached me with both blades held in front of him, I from the shadows, I saw the blur of Nolan’s combat suit; stood in front of me before slicing through our attacker cutting his torso away from his legs, pulsing tendrils shot out from his wound to reconnect his torso back to his waist; he faced Nolan, I freed myself one limb at a time and placed my feet on the ground breaking the bramble piercing through my heart, I tore out the spike from chest, I tossed on the ground, I ripped out the spikes in my arms and legs; I screamed in pain as I forced my bleeding to stop, the wounds sealed shut and I held my sword in front of me; I rushed forward, he left his back wide open being pressured by Nolan’s rapid strikes; the swords glanced off each other, I slashed down; the serrated teeth on my sword caught on his skin and I sawed down slowly cutting him diagonally; I pulled down the sword cutting him cleanly freeing the grip of the teeth on his flesh, Nolan followed with a roundhouse kick; his leg impacted with our opponent and sent him flying into the mouth a stone lily, the spiky petals closed around him like an iron maiden as he crashed into the tongue of the beast, we saw the plant snap shut; she chewed on his torso, before spitting him out as a slobbery and corroded sack of flesh; the plant gagged and shriveled up with a whimper, . His legs walked toward the other half of his body; he reconnected himself and we saw the top half of his body become good as new, he gripped his swords and manifested his guardian; “Embrace your end”. I saw him form eight more arms; he manifested the remaining eight blades and gripped them in his hands, all we saw were the flash of his fangs and the whites of his eyes, he spun in place with all of his arms extended and headed toward us as a tornado, Nolan and I blocked the slashes; the trade of blows scattered sparks everywhere; he cackled wildly as our blades clanged against each other, breaking our guard, he pulled back his arms and thrust all his blades forward holding them in a circular pattern, sending out a wave of chi; the blast hit the ground between us, and knocked us into the air, we floated for a moment and was grabbed by our waists, as he rushed forward in a blur of dust with all of his hands free, spun around we were thrown into the center of the courtyard, before crashing into the marble statue of a large Buddha, Nolan wrapped his arms around my waist to shield me from the impact; we landed softly in the open palms of the statue being set down by a current of air. “That’s enough Galahad”. We saw Ashton walk into the courtyard; he drew his swords, “What the hell is going on here”! “Answer me”! Galahad put away his swords and stood in front of him Ashton, “Leigh Galahad, at your service”. “I know who you are, god damn it… tell me why you attacked them”. “I simply came to destroy the thing, that brat has become so attached to; my magnificent creation, a being war: Nikolai, tainted by the innocence of that damned child; the very thought is an affront to my skills as des--”. Ashton punched Galahad in the face seeing the ashes of Nikolai’s core on the ground; he picked up the charred remains of his alpha sigil from what was left of his soul, “She’s not a brat; her name is Astoria and his is Nolan, they are my family along with the rest of my crew; touch them and you will die”. He grated his teeth: “You’ve taken someone precious to me… you’ve killed someone that Astoria sees as her father; you’ve taken someone I see as a brother”. The ground crackled under his feet, “I know why you’re here, you’d better convince me why I should let you take his place; you’ve got until the count of five to explain why I shouldn’t destroy you with the same intent as you destroyed him”. For a moment the air was still Nolan and I held our breath as Ashton signaled us with the fingers on his hand, “Five”. “Any last words”? Ashton cracked his knuckles and all the air in the courtyard was erased out of existence, he disappeared out of sight and stood behind Galahad with Nikolai’s sigil; with a sweep kick, Ashton knocked Galahad off his feet, the air came flooding back as he positioned his above hand him and pressed into his chest; burning the sigil into his soul, I saw flash of green light and heard a loud boom; “You want to be one of us… then this is your initiation”! Galahad was pressed into the ground with numerous cuts all over his body, I saw the sigil appear on his chest as he moaned in pain, the image faded away into his being; I looked at my left shoulder and saw the same sigil through my ripped sleeve, Nolan helped me up on my feet; “You okay”? I walked over to Galahad, and kicked him the stomach; he moaned in agony, “Now I am”. Ashton wiped a tear from his eye, he formed a small sphere of wind in his hands and sent the ball into the pile of ash, scattering it through the gardens; as the ashes settle, Ashton clapped his hands charging the remains of our friend; he repaired all of the damage done by our fight; “This is your home now”. In front of us, was a statue of Nikolai among all the other marble figures; “Rest in peace”. Hearing those words, I fell on my knees; I let out a bestial cry of rage, my tears welled in my eyes as I came to realization of his death; I felt the tears stream from my eyes, they never got the chance to know him like I did; he was my protector, now he’s gone. “Damn it…why did you take him from me”! I pressed my knees into Galahads chest and punched away at his face, smashing it into a bloody pulp; I broke down as I lost the will to keep hitting him, his face reformed; “Damn it… why”? I sobbed, I felt a pair of arms on my shoulders; I turned and saw Nolan behind me, he embraced me and pulled me off Galahad before I could push him away; “I want to be alone right now”. I forced out: I let myself sink into his arms, “Let it out, it’s okay to cry”. Nolan whispered into my ear, “He meant everything to me… Nolan, I’ve lost more than a person”. “I know it hurts, I’ve felt this way more times than I can count; the last thing you need is to wallow in your grief, don’t sink into despair Astoria, don’t lose your humanity because you’ve lost the ones you love; don’t lose who you are”. My tears ran onto his shoulders; I embraced him as my heart ached from the grief… I remembered his words to me when I was earlier, “when I die just know that true death is not permanent goodbye only temporary separation; secondly forgive the injustice of those who did you wrong, no matter hard it is; accept what has happened and move on, don’t let grief consume you; let go of the desire for revenge and forgive to find peace”. The tears stopped and I wiped my eyes clear, I looked at Galahad from where I was sitting; “Can I learn to forgive you”? “Can forgive myself for letting Nikolai die”? I heard his voice in my head, “Astoria, Nikolai was the closest thing I had to a son; I put him down because of the pain and suffering in his body, I couldn’t bear to watch him carry the burden in his heart and suffer alone any longer”. “I’m not asking for forgiveness, just understanding; admit it… you felt even stronger than me, you know that his death was an act of mercy”. “Mercy shouldn’t be killing someone in cold blood, regardless of the intent”. His voice fell silent, I heard the rumbling inside of his soul; truly he’s killed a son, but he’s also taken my guardian… my father. “I don’t expect my motives to make sense to you, I don’t expect us to be friends. He was a man of honor, and my beloved creation; but to willingly watch someone suffer and do nothing about it, that is truly despicable… tell me have you ever thought about how he truly felt inside; the man you knew was only a husk of himself; Nikolai has been dead inside for many years, until he met you; you showed him how to live life and feel joy again”. “Then why did you end it”? “Because something had taken root inside of him, because of you… being with you people has broken his core and transformed it into a soul”. “Then you’ve killed a sentient being”. “No, I’ve stopped the birth of an abomination”. “How can you call him that”? “A golem isn’t supposed to feel anything at all, emotions cause them to become corrupt and deviate; say if you died right of him, do you know what would happen”? “What does that have to do with anything”? “He would destroy everything in his path, he would forget what he has become and revert back to being a mere weapon, golems inherently protect what they hold precious to them; if he witnessed any of you being slain by my hands; his pseudo humanity would be overridden by his core programming, the team members you’ve come to known or I would have to put him down like a rabid dog before we all become another casualty in his body count”. “He was designed to eliminate his enemies or any threats, when the programming his accepted all the people he has come know will become a threat to him and he will systematically destroy them one by one… can you sleep at night knowing that there is a panic switch built into his being that could cause irrevocable harm to everything you know and love”. “But he wasn’t a monster”. “There are so many factors that could cause him to trigger and start his true protocol, I can’t sit by and know that my creation would be responsible for the deaths of countless people”. “To put it this you’ve fallen in love with an armed nuclear warhead set on a timer to blow, he was time bomb and you know it; when he snaps that’s the end of everyone you love… can you sit by and watch that happen, tell me is the life of a weapon conditioned to think like a man worth more than the people you’ve to love and trust as your own kin”? “Tell me… is worth it”?


	9. Episode Nine: Coming to terms

I felt the rain on my hair; I looked into the skies and saw a field of grey clouds, the silver rain poured on the courtyard, Nolan let go of me as I stood up; I walked over to Galahad’s body and formed my stingers; I kicked him in the stomach and sent him skidding on the ground leaving a bloody smear on the ground, he staggered up heaving for air, his face reformed and he placed his hands on his jaws; popping his mouth back into place: “You call that a punch”. I saw his guardian, as surges of lightning on his limbs; he formed Typhon around his right arm; the muscles bulged to the point of bursting, the arm pulsed with energy and he pressed his feet into the ground, the air felt heavy; I held my breath in anticipation, I forced my nerves to calm as I exhaled my breath, “Come here and let’s settle this”. “Impudent child”! He rushed forward and I caught his fist with my tails; I twisted his arm and bent over to touch the ground with my hands; I bent my arms and sprang up kicking him in the torso, I ripped his arm out his socket and I grabbed it with my free hand as I spun back on my feet, I smashed his face with my impromptu bat and skewered him through the chest with my tails; I lifted his body above my head, his blood fell on me as crimson raindrops, I tossed him on the ground as I saw the expression on his face; I let go of his limb and he looked at me with a twisted smile as he reconnected his arm to his shoulder, I knew what the look meant: you’re a monster just like me, revel in this power; let it corrupt you. Ashton stood in front of me as I was about to thrust forward to end the fight, “Stop”. I fell into his arms, “That’s enough… please don’t do this, I don’t where the line is anymore, but I’m sure when you kill him you’ll be on the wrong side of things”. “Let go of me damn it”! I felt his hands touch my back, I was pacified as his fingers pressed into bottom my neck; “I’m sorry”. Ashton let go, as my stingers faded away; I stared at him blankly, “Ashton how could you overlook what he did”? I “He took one of our own… I can’t forgive that”. “I’m going back inside”, I turned my back and walked forward; “I don’t expect you to forgive him… just move on”. I clenched my fist and ground my teeth, I tasted blood in my mouth as I bit on my tongue; I spit out the bitter taste in my mouth and opened the courtyard doors, I stepped inside and shut the doors behind me.   
I watched Nolan chase after Astoria, he bolted out of the courtyard and shot through the doors; the footsteps faded and I was left with Galahad, “Tell me something, is there a way of curing Nikolai”? “No”. “If there was would you have tried to find it”? “Ashton, I’ve made dozens of golems; I’m used to losing them one way or another it’s pointless to try and cure a golem, I find it easier to start from scratch”. “Galahad, bonds alone are rather hard to break especially so with the memories that strengthen them; stay with us if you want to, I will welcome you with open arms, but so help me do something like this again and that will be the end of you; that girl has seen more tragedy in her life as the rest of us, I don’t want anything to change the people I’ve learned to love”. He nodded his head, “Come inside, you’re going to get a cold”. I walked into a glass room, as I stepped out of the rain; I dried myself with a blast of air and did the same for Galahads fur, I straightened out my hair; he press his hands down his matted fur and smoothed out the clumps, “Try to play nice, would you”. I felt the tears well in my eyes as I walked down the glass covered hallway leading to the living quarters; I went up the stairs as my tears flowed freely; looking at my watch, 7:15 PM. The handle ticked slowly, I felt the agony of each second pass by as I walked into the lobby and found the other members surrounding Astoria, the atmosphere was depressing… all heads turned their eyes toward my saddened eyes. Elaine walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me, “Don’t cry”. I saw Draco walk up to me with a glass of brandy, “It happened just like that... it must be horrible to witness it firsthand”. I took the brandy and raised my glass, the others looked at me and followed; our glasses clinked with each other, we downed our glasses and turned our head to Galahad as he walked up the stairs; it was still, our shock and anger was pointed at him. He stood calm as he walked between us and parted us out of his path, he took his seat at the opposite end of the table; “Let’s call this meeting into order”. I took my seat: “Let your judgment begin”; Astoria and Elaine sat as my left and right hands, Ragnarok took his place next Elaine and Nolan sat next to Astoria, Thane and Draco sat with Elaine; Louis sat next to Lex, we pulled in our chairs and placed our hands on the table. “I’ll make this quick: all in favor of letting Leigh Galahad join our team”. “Ashton, shouldn’t we mourn the loss of Nikolai first”. I faced Ragnarok, “After we return home”, I said wiping the tears in my eyes; I raised my hand. “Very well”, Ragnarok raised his hand in favor, Thane and Draco looked at each other with pained expressions as Draco raised his hand, and Thane kept his hand still. Lex voted in favor with Louis, Elaine and Nolan kept their hands on the table; I rested my hands on the table and stared at my friends in shock, did Nikolai mean nothing to them. “A five to four decision”. Ashton said grimly, “Then it’s settled, Galahad welcome aboard”. “This meeting is adjourned”. Lex, Louis, Thane, and Draco left to their quarters after pushing in their chairs; I heard the chairs slide on the ground and creak, I gripped the arms of my seat and watched my knuckles go white. Their footsteps echoed loudly in my ears, as I felt my heart sink into my stomach.   
“Are we really going to accept the man who killed one of our own into the fold”? I smashed my hands into the table: “Damn it tell me, are we”? Ragnarok stood up, “The loss of a member is insignificant when there is another soul willing to take his place”. “So all the memories we shared with him, no matter how few, means nothing to you”? I felt Nolan’s hand on my shoulder, “None of us are thinking that, Astoria; there is no reason to leave an empty hole in your heart”. I pulled back my chair and stood up, “Don’t leave”. “Then give me a reason to stay and listen”. I brushed off Nolan’s hand, and walked to the main hallway leading to the quarters; “Is this really what you want, Astoria”? I looked at Elaine: “I don’t know anymore, I just want to be alone right now”. “I’ve heard enough of your dribble, stop crying and grow up; death is the fate of the weak”. “Tell me something how much does he mean to you”? I faced Galahad, “Tell me, how did you see him in your eyes”? “That thing was just a tool, a weapon trained to think like a man; the memories you share with it are meaningless, golems are just mindless statues built for war and conquest, you tainted the reason why he was built; I simply corrected the problem”. “Do you know what it means to show compassion”? Elaine said to him, “You were a commander for an army of machines that have no spirit, no will, just programming; one of your soldiers defect and you eliminate the problem… is that it”? “I’m with Astoria, you don’t arbitrarily decide which one of your creations live and die, all because something in their programming was screwed with”. “Astoria, we’re going”. Elaine took me by the hand and Nolan followed us down the hallway, “Elaine can you tell me where we’re going”? “The library, we’re not going to take this lying down”. “We’re going to recreate Nikolai”? I asked Elaine, “Yep make a new copy and start from scratch; we’re going to make a golem that can’t be destroyed”.   
“Those people never take the world for what it is… do they”? I faced Ashton holding the core of my creation, “Consider yourself lucky that golems can be rebuilt”; he smiled like an idiot, “Nikolai has become the lovable mascot of our motley bunch, anyone can tell that… so suck on that you bastard”. “Fair enough, it’s hard to let go of something you’ve fallen in love with is it not; but I want to know what you would do to bring back anyone else but Nikolai”?   
“You’re asking what I would do when somebodies essence is completely destroyed”. “Yes”. “Sever the ties with their guardian contract and give them another chance at life”. Ashton held his swords at my neck, “What if they die then”? “Want to find out”. I tossed Nikolai’s core into Ashton’s hand, he caught the remains of his friend. “I know damn well, that you would cease to exist”. “Actually that’s common misconception, even when your physical essence is destroyed something of you remains, the little specs of your identity subsist when everything is gone… if those specs are reformed in time, the soul can be reborn allowing for reincarnation”. “Fae are essentially immortal the way you put it”. “No we aren’t, that fate is far worse than death; all that remains of your life is an empty husk and the echoes of your memories, that is what happens when we aren’t allowed to go in the afterlife”. “You sound like you have plenty of experience”. “I’ve put down and permanently linked souls to limbo, if you would be so kind to indulge me, I show you firsthand what it’s like to live as a soulless mirror image of who you were”. “I’ve heard of the monsters you killed, you’re truly ruthless to bar them from judgment… we’ll get along just fine”. “We’re alike you and I. At the end of the day we’re both monsters, looking a reason to on hacking away at people, to keep on fighting insurmountable odds; that is the life we chose, we keep killing because that is the only thing that satisfies us, we keep sowing death because it makes us happy; I can attest this to all of you, the blood we spill, the blood that stains our souls and bodies disabuses the illusions we’ve made for ourselves”. “Interesting… you say we kill to define our worth and existence, I’ll keep that in mind then”. “Does anything else bring you pleasure, think very carefully, does anything else make you happy”. I felt something stir inside me, a heartbeat… emotion; “No, it’s quite empty inside”. “You’re a waste of life, if you can only find joy in the suffering of others”. “I don’t understand how there is more to being a warrior then”. “I’m glad you can see that, maybe there’s hope for you yet”. Ashton left with a grin on his face, “Better give this to the girls and Nolan”. “Oh and dinner’s at eight thirty sharp; our hosts have been kind enough to provide one last meal before we go home; so please behave”.   
I looked at the heart and soul of my friend, Nikolai’s core was scorched and chipped but I could still make out what it was, a cylindrical container about the size of a soda can; it was still warm from the active shards of ether housed inside of the case, I looked inside the chipped surface of the canister, and saw the ether inside turn into a rusty orange from the solid emerald green, the core started sinking in my hand, and I thrust forward letting it go, it sank like a stone and cracked the floor, it weighed at fifty pounds as it left my hand… I saw the crack on the floor get larger as the density and mass of the core increased exponentially, one thing was for sure; Galahad is a mechanical genius. “The core it’s corrupted isn’t it”. Galahad placed his hand on my shoulder, I saw a glint of sadness in his eye as he walked by me; he sat down in front of the core and opened the ruined canister, sticking his hand inside he pulled out the corrupted ether shards from the stabilizers inside. I watched the shards turn to dust as they oxidized, “Such a waste of a life, I’ve failed you twice my son”. “I killed him out of mercy, like you did with your demons”. “Nikolai my greatest pride, my greatest sin… he wasn’t born into a mortal body that was capable of living in this world: his old body couldn’t sustain him he was going to die without having a chance to live… I built this body for him, knowing that one day something was going to destroy the child I love leaving only a fragment of the person he used to be… his consciousness was that core, slowly it started slipping away from the meager bit of him that was left, he became what we would a call a vegetable”. Galahad held the core in his hands, “This was all I had left of his being, a living photo that never grows old or dies; now it’s turned to ash… I couldn’t do anything to stop it”. “I appreciate you keeping him safe, he was always a baby no matter how old he was; his soul vibrated with eternal youth… that spirit never died out, that piece of him always remained as he started to rot from the inside, I intended him to live forever, an eternal body backed by countless centuries of knowledge… Ashton, golems are bearers of knowledge far lost to the echoes of time; I wanted him to be the catalyst that can restore the world if it ever dies”. I saw the tears in his eyes, “I hope you can forgive me for taking him from you”. I saw pair of arms embrace him from behind, it was Astoria; “You really did care for him didn’t you”? “Of course I did, he was the only thing I had left to family… he was the only thing I had left from my memories of home”. She let go and faced him, holding his head in her hands; “I never knew my parents, to be more accurate I don’t remember the first few years of my life; one day I was found in a field stained by blood by Nikolai and he took me in his care”.   
I looked in her bloodshot eyes, “You’re not the monster you see yourself as; Astoria, everyone here has been through their own hell… there are secrets that we hide deep within ourselves”. I held her in my arms, “My son was the piece of me that I could never let go of, seeing that he was happy here, makes all the turmoil he’s been through seem worthwhile; I can’t see him as anything else and to know that he was dying, I couldn’t stand by watch him suffer… I hope you can understand that”. “I tried to deceive myself for the longest time, I honestly fooled myself believing that the poison inside him simply went away; the person I’ve come to see as my parent was dead for a long time before today”. I brushed the tears away from her softened face, “Stop crying… Astoria”. I heard Elaine down the hallway; she stood next to Ashton and they approached us together, “I never got to know him that well, but I know he was important to all of us”. “Galahad, I don’t get angry at anyone for the choices they make; we all have our reasons for the actions we take”. Elaine placed her hand on my shoulders, “Take the blame and grow a pair, you can’t hold yourself responsible for him dying all those years ago; a soul like his will always be remembered by his loved ones”. I stood up and faced her burning eyes, her deep red irises bled with emotion; “I want to rebuild him from scratch, give him the life he deserves”. I handed her the remains of his core, “He can be rebuilt, but his memories will be destroyed… the Nikolai you know will no longer exist”. “Can’t you rewire his consciousness to his new body”? Astoria looked at me expectantly, “No… he deserves to rest… after all he’s been through; I can’t see this happen again”. “His golem body was an act of desperation, I built this body to keep to him from fading away into the afterlife, and now that his core is ruined, his soul has no anchor to tether itself to this plane of existence”. “I can’t bring back your father, but I can give you a sibling”. I gripped my hands around the blackened cylinder and released my seal, “This is a frame of reference for your creation, Astoria… the previous personality will print itself onto the new body, everything you loved about him will be imprinted on the new golem”. She wiped her eyes and took the core from my hands, “It’s yours now; rebuild him in memory of who he was, honor his life and everything he meant to you”. “Thank you”. Elaine placed Astoria on her shoulders, she walked down the hallway; “We got off on the wrong foot, I’m sorry judging you so quickly”. “That’s alright, Ashton”. I walked into my quarters, “If you would let me change into something more suited to the evening events”. “Sure”. Ashton walked off, I heard his footsteps echo; I felt the tears stream from my eyes, I sat on the bed and Nolan sat next to me, “A life shouldn’t be so easily tossed away, Galahad; there is a unspoken code among us, by some innate feeling we can sense the distress amongst each other, every emotion is sensed by each of us, the suffering or joy one of may feel is felt by the rest of us as well; I don’t know why, I’m come to love that man, as if I had known him all my life… this feeling it’s an odd thing for someone like me, I’m not used to remorse, to having my senses brought back to life; the thing is, I felt my humanity with these people, I felt reassured that I wasn’t just a soulless machine for killing”. “There are secrets we keep in the dark, never to have the light shine on them; it’s our shame, our humility; this quality allows for the best of a person to shine despite all of their flaws”. “You’re not a fool, but please don’t make her cry again… so help me; I’ve come to care for Astoria more than the others, even to point where I can call her my kin, her tears pierce into me deeper than any mortal wound; I feel the wretched pains of my friends in my heart, so will you, since joining I vowed not to hurt these people anymore then what they’ve been through”. “I’m asking you, to make the same promise; are you willing to accept us as one of your own”? “I never felt welcome anywhere in this world, I felt as if I was doomed to die alone and bitter inside; so this is the belonging he felt inside that heart of his, such a wonderful feeling… if you would join me in a prayer”? I looked at Nolan, “The thing is we’re all alone at one point or another, I’m glad I found somewhere I can call home”. He stood up and placed his hand on my shoulder, “Let’s try and be friends”. I saw a glint in his eye as he turned to walk out the door, I closed my eyes and placed my hands together, I knelt on the wooden floor from where I was sitting; there on my knees I sat with my thoughts just starting to comprehend there was more to life, than what I had discovered; finally somewhere, I can belong; somewhere I am accepted.   
“How are you taking this”? Ragnarok sat next to me at the bar counter, he passed me a shot of brandy, before drinking his glass of vodka. “I’m not sure what to feel anymore… Nolan, a golem can be rebuilt or another can take its place when one falls in battle, but on the other hand we form attachments to our mechanical companions whether we want to or not… for me it’s like losing the family dog, it’s sad but you get over it knowing that another dog could just walk in your life and fill the empty space”. “He’s not a dog, he was a person damn it”. “Just think about, at every aspect he was just a weapon trained to think like a man; now he’s a broken tool… I’m sorry Nolan; golems come a dime a dozen… cannon fodder, nothing more… nothing less”. “You know, I thought you’d keep your humanity after all the shit you’ve been through… I never thought I’d see the day where I would lecture you about the importance of losing a friend”. Ragnarok stood up and left pushing in the stool, “Let’s talk later after we cool off… right now, I don’t want to see any more blood spilt”. He choked out; I heard his footsteps echo in the hall, I felt something bubble and seethe inside me, I smashed my fist into the marble counter top and chipped away a chunk of the stone; “So you do have a heart under all that thick exterior”. Lex sat next to me, he passed me his gun; “You want to put down the bastard who did this”? “Nikolai by all rights would have survived that poison maybe even continue to be the loving weapon of mass destruction we’ve come to accept him as; but Galahad was right, he’ll survive… function, but up until the point he’s one of us die… he’ll become our worst nightmare when he makes it out of that ordeal, the core of his being once contaminated will slowly shut off his humanity, burn his sense of right and wrong; he’ll be nothing more than a beast waiting to come out from the dark and bite down on its victim”. I gave him back the pistol, “I don’t want revenge, but the possibility that what he did was the right thing to do; that’s what scares me the most, that one of us could become the greatest threat to our wellbeing”. “How are the others taking it”? “They didn’t really give me anything else, but a blank expression; it’s more a shock to them than anything else”. Thane and Draco walked in the lobby with Louis, they took their seats at the counter. I looked at Draco in the eyes, his expression was a look of frustration and guilt, “How did this happen to him, I thought he was invincible… our first time meeting him, Thane… you told me that he was built to last an eternity… you told me that he wouldn’t die on us”. “Don’t cry over it, he’ll be put back together good as new”. I looked at Louis, he sat next to Draco; “Not exactly, like he was”. Thane pressed his temples with his fingers, “A portion of his personality we’ll be encoded onto the new body regardless, but not everything can be salvaged from his core”. “It’s like trying back up the corrupted files on computer, isn’t it”. “Yeah I guess you can say that”. “The best thing we can hope is to bring as much of him as possible from the psych transfer”. Draco sat up straight, “What if it doesn’t work”. “Then we’ll have a babies mind in a mechanical chassis, ok fine it’ll be more like a prodigy in mechanized body; golems and other sentient machines can learn exponentially faster than we ever could, it’s all a matter of teaching him from scratch”. “For now we should change into something more suited toward going out for dinner”.   
I walked back into the lobby wearing a simple yellow t-shirt and beige cargo shorts, Elaine stood next to me as we faced Reico, “You mind telling me why there is an exact copy of our wardrobe at home in this mansion”. “Silly boy, this is your birthright”. “Welcome home Mr. Queen”.   
Reality all but froze a moment, Reico and I faced each other in this state of limbo; “You remember don’t you”? “It’s something I prefer to forget, those people and my life before; I don’t to remember any of it”. “You need to face your demons”. “Why now”? “Because they’re going to come for you”. “Then let them come”. Reico handed me a letter with my house symbol on it, I looked at the chess piece insignia; I felt something turn my stomach; my hand gripped the letter, I fell on my knees clutching my head in pain; the memories I’d buried deep within in my head started to dig themselves up; my demons, their faces became clear in my mind; this place was my home before I had to leave it, they we’re corrupted first, and slowly rotting inside… I don’t want to remember this. “Tell me how does it feel”? The pounding in my head stopped as the first face became clear; “I don’t feel so well”. I staggered up on one knee, “There are consequences to your actions; are you ready to face them”? I wiped the bloody smear under my nose, “You’re not giving me much choice”. “Good, Ashton considering the terms of this contract, I will warn you in advance; Team sigma and I will attack your city; it will be razed to the ground”. “You have three weeks to prepare and eliminate your targets; take the chance to prepare your team for the war to come, this event of ours was to get a taste what of the other can offer under straining conditions”. “Do not disappoint me or my team, you given us a reason to come out of hiding, prepare and be ready”. Clare appeared next to Reico; “We’ll be waiting for you”. “And some friendly advice make peace with your demons, before coming to fight us again, this time was a simple match; next time, someone will die in battle, I can assure you that much”. “Kill your fears and guilt, only then do any of you have the chance of living through this”. “For now let’s enjoy one last meal”. Reico and Clare left the hallway; time resumed, leaving me and Elaine standing in the lobby staring blanking at each other, “What the hell just happened”. “We’ve got a war to prepare for”. Elaine smiled and playfully punched my shoulder, “Then let’s get even”.  
We walked in the dining room with everyone by my flanks, surprisingly no one was really bothered by a prospect of war between us and sigma. Sitting down at our half of the table we faced off against our enemies, “You all have three weeks to prepare for this war, make no mistake from this point the only people you can trust are yourselves”. “This house is yours, the Alpha estate and all its assets are to be shared amongst yourselves; this is your haven, the same goes for the rest of the teams, welcome to the world little children; please don’t die on us before then would you”? “We mean in this best way, make peace and exorcise your personal demons; fight us with a clean slate, farewell Alpha; you have been warned”. Our enemies exfiltrated right before our eyes, fading into the air; the faint wisps of their presence dissipated leaving us staring at the pictures of our own demons, “But before we part ways; I want to know something from all of you, do you promise to come back when this over? When everything is said done can you tell me that you’ll stay”? Thane looked at me, “Ashton I can speak for all of us, when I say this has become our home now… the lives we had were left behind, and now we learned to move on”. His words echoed in the room and slowly faded out, I looked at the pictures in my files; “Make peace with who you are… put your demons to rest”. Galahad spoke breaking the silence, he placed his hand on the table and took a deep sigh; “It’s not enough that you’ve been forgiven without doing anything to even out the damage”. Draco placed his hand flat on the table; before showing us his palm, it was covered in faded scars, “I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but up to now… I never took the time to learn the meaning behind them, why things ended up the way they did, I couldn’t accept that”. “In your own mind your own actions will always take prevalence to the opinions and feelings of others, I don’t hate you for what you did neither do I condone your action, Nikolai by all means was held in a special place in my heart, along with everyone else in the room; don’t get me wrong I like you enough for your ballsy entry, but pull something like this again, and I will personally end you; I felt the same way when I first meet them, “why did these forgive me, why did they accept for what I am”. I am a monster by all right, but slowly the darkness inside of your heart fades out, slowly you grow to love them, you grow to believe in humanity again… that is the spirit of our group, no matter how much we’ve screwed ourselves into a corner; we can always find a way out of the graves we’d dug for ourselves, this mentality: is the mercy we seek after in life, that is the beauty of it: that no one is perfect, we’re going to make mistakes and pay for them with bits and pieces of ourselves, but this way of life is now our atonement, a method of healing, a method of becoming whole again, a way for us to forgive ourselves and live without guilt racking our hearts; Galahad our trade is wrought with the blood of the innocent, the act of killing for necessity or pleasure is evil in its own right; we are stained with blood and marred by the wounds in our hearts, no one at this table is exempt from this… not even you, our path of redemption is a bloody road filled with disaster and grief, can you accept this and continue on with your life”? “I’ve lost too much to give up now, there are voices in my head; the cries of the people that have died at my hand, my heart is heavy from their grief; all of us have spilt blood, some more than others; but the fact remains we aren’t worth any less because of that, the oceans of red we are close to drowning, the mounds of corpses that hunger beneath us are simply the monuments of our sins… I don’t care for making peace with my demons; the trauma associated with killing these people, is what keeps us up at night staring into empty space, yet we forget these souls are already dead and can do no harm to the world which we know and love, simply they are ghosts who wander amongst the living as echoes of who they we’re; I’ve already let go of the trauma weighing my heart down, but it won’t do them justice to leave them in this state… this is a burial for the dead and for our previous selves”. A silence fell over the room, no one spoke in the somber moment, in deep thought and meditation, all of us had the same thing running through our heads: Can we truly let go of our grief? Can we find peace in our lives? “What is the meaning of life if it can be so easily taken away from us”?   
“As you’ll have noticed the coordinates on your pictures are all the same, one location where they’ve all gathered; go there and release them if you want, these souls deserve an afterlife just like us; burn these photos and let go of your burdens”. All eyes were on me, “We’re to meet back here at after all ties are cut… this meeting is adjourned”. One by one they stood up and left the meeting room, I pressed my hands into my head closing my eyes; I found myself in a large body of red liquid, I lay on the surface of this ocean slowly drifting as a white light shined down on me: “If this is really the way to come to terms with our actions, what’s to keep us from doing it all over again and scourging ourselves of our grief… what’s to keep us from permanently crossing the line into the arms our worst self, what’s to keep us from becoming the very thing we set out to destroy”? The suffocating feeling of guilt bore down on my lungs, I leaned back in my chair: “What is the point of doing this, if we’re going to repeat every last one of crimes again”? I felt a hand on both of my shoulders, I opened my eyes and found no one next to me; this is a battle of self at its core, we alone in the end are responsible for our crimes and only we have the ability to forgive ourselves of what we have done when the world has forgotten our sins… no else is responsible for my life but myself. Our duty as mercenaries extends to purging the world of our mistakes and the errors of others, think of the different squads…we are all cleansers, some more literal than others; everyone on this team has their skeletons, this goes for the members of Sigma as well along with other cells scattered throughout the world… anyone is bound to have their burdens hung around them, but to achieve what you are meant to be you have to let go of everything holding you back; the most freeing experience any mortal can attain is often the one that costs us our lives, our identities as people. This is the method of washing the blood off ourselves, this is the road we’ve chosen; now it’s time for our judgment, the process of burning these pictures is more complicated than the putting them in a trash can and tossing in a match; the paper binding these photos to this realm of existence are the last remains of the deceased, their bodies are decayed and roaming the land of the living, there was a truth to what Reico told me, they are wreaking havoc as immortal beasts made from an amalgam of the lives we’ve taken, now bent on killing the world around them… but they aren’t… they never did… they simply wait for us to come to them and put them down for good, some piece of them still remains; something inside them that keeps them from destroying their previous identities when they were alive, that’s why he wanted us to put them to rest, a piece of their humanity remains that’s what he wanted for us to save, and hope to put to rest. For all it’s worth I hope they haven’t waiting long. We parted ways the next morning, I followed my coordinates to a shrine; around me were white blossoms falling from the trees, new buds took their places; I stood on the beaten path to the entrance, guarding the entry was a mirror image of myself. Something was off though, the eyes were black and an insidious air hung above my copy, he wore a black and white suit just like me; straightening his tie he smiled and bared rows of stained teeth; the thing in front of me contorted until it mirrored my exact being… I faced my demon, it wasn’t a disfigured monster that I was staring down… it was me. “You cannot win in a battle against yourself, Ashton”. The sun turned black and I saw it for what it really was, a perfect clone… everything down to the last detail was exact copy of myself, I drew Muramasa and slid my thumb across the edge; my blood glistened in the black light, I held the hilt of the sword in my right hand and kept my left hand steady on Masamune as I pulled the sword from its sheathe, I coated the edge of the sword with a line blood on Muramasa; holding the blades at my sides, I took a deep breath, I let calm wash over me as the gravity of the situation grounded me into me reality. The world around me was now colored in black and white; so this is the ritual… the world we know is replaced by a twisted reflection of itself and you face yourself in a battle to the death: “I’ve proven a god wrong before, killing you should be a piece of cake”. He mirrored my stance with his swords: “Then come”. “No you come to me”. Everything stood still for a moment, in the deathly silence I looked at my reflection; as we stood amongst the black clouds, our feet were touching the red sky; a gust of wind scattered the clouds and made the sky ripple under our feet like a pool of blood, “Am I nothing but a twisted shell of who I was”? I heard my copy’s thoughts… “Let’s find out then”.   
We circled each other like ravenous sharks, I rushed forward and slashed downward; my copy dodged the swing and caught his blades on my stomach, with a crossing slash; I had a x shaped wound on my chest, I fell on one knee and clutched my chest; I gasped for air as the wound sealed itself shut. “You’re too reckless, are you in that much of a hurry to die”? I braced myself and darted forward, I blocked the next two slashes by shifted my swords; I ducked under as he spun in place, I dashed back and baited him to rush forward, he slashed down with both swords, and I broke the flow of energy in my copies swing, he followed with two backhanded slashes; I spun around and caught the blades with two swings of my own, breaking his guard I kicked him in the stomach and sent him skidding back, I kept up the pressure with a mix up of high and low swings, sparks flew across the clashing metal of our blades; I dodged the series of vertical counter slashes by stepping back, I stepped forward and ducked under, with a sweep kick I knocked him off balance and drove my swords forward; I pierced through myself and tore my copy in half, “Release”. I sheathed my blades and found myself standing on the cobblestone path leading to the shrine, everything was back to normal except for the bloody streaks of red that stained the side buildings and path; my steps echoed loudly as I walked up to the altar, standing on the main platform I found lit incense surround the pyre bowl; I placed the folder of pictures in the bowl and placed the incense inside, I sat in front of the altar and closed my eyes to meditate; the flames weren’t hot by any means… the warm embers were refreshing and calming, slowly my past burned away in front of me; I sat still until I could no longer smell the burning paper, I took a deep breath of fresh air, all of my sins were burned away; I heard heavy breathing behind me. I opened my eyes and saw an imp sleeping in the bowl, I rolled out the way; holding the imp in my arms, two cuts were made on the wood floors as I barely dodged the attack, I scrambled to my feet to place the imp on my shoulder; the imp yawned and opened her eyes, she tugged my arm to the left, and I rolled in the direction to dodge the windmill motion of swings, I stepped forward and punched my copy in the face, he hit the ground and I followed up with a kick to his gut; I drew my swords and dashed forward, I watched myself stand and rush me, we collided our swords against each other and I slashed downward breaking his guard; I stepped forward and slashed down with one blade, following up with horizontal slash; I spun on my feet, I drove one blade in his stomach and finished with a decapitation, my copy faded into green embers; I sheathed my swords and the imp pressed her face against the back of my head her body shivered as the shrine and surround buildings caught on fire, “I’m scared”. “It’s going to be okay”. I pressed my hands together and released a wave of air from my body, the blazing emerald flames covering the wooden buildings were scattered into the wind and shattered into ash, the structures around us were blown into the wind; she pulled on my ears and peeped over my shoulder with one eye open; the tugging feeling on my ears stopped and I felt her latch onto my back, we looked toward the horizon and saw the sunrise; “You have a name”? She placed her head on my shoulder: “I’m Celina”. “What’s your name”? “Ashton”. I fell on my knees, as I forced out my name with my strained voice; Celina hopped off my shoulders and caught me as I was about to fall over, “Oh no you don’t, I just met you, you can’t die yet”. I felt her soft hands, her claws balanced my weight on her palms as she turned my body and laid me down on my back, I coughed up blood and heaved for breath; for a moment Celina face reminded me of my daughters as she pressed her hands on my chest; she was my daughter… how is she here now. I felt her small hands press my chest down open up my lungs, my vision started to blur and my ears became clogged; I took a shallow breath of fresh air as I brushed her messy blond hair covering her piercing green eyes, “Don’t die”. She mouthed, I felt her hands on chest before I started to lose feeling; “Don’t die damn it”. I felt her tears fall on my face, slowly she started to become more human; something was wrong with the pictures, something so glaringly obvious it makes me boil up inside, all of them were the same image of the person in different moments of their life, before they died in our arms… Celina was my greatest pride and joy; my daughter died in my previous estate, the one Reico rebuilt for me, it’s hard to believe that my best friend was my worst enemy… I made many enemies as a freelance worker; so they… Sigma came after me and her in our house; they’ve got a vendetta against me for all the times I stopped them in their tracks… she called it her castle; the saddest part was I took her in to keep her safe… she’d been orphaned before, I didn’t want her to grow up without any family like me, but they took her and my happiness from me… I barely escaped with my life as I burned everything I had made then; I remember the sound of breaking glass and burning stone, my home burned down in front of my eyes. Now here she is, in my life again… I hope I can give her a better life this time around; the home built in this plain was a copy of my old life. My lungs cleared, my vision and hearing returned; “Celina… you’re going to beat me to death”. I groaned out, I sat up and faced her, she was dressed in a tattered violet lace dress and nude colored ballerina flats; she hugged me and I felt her tears wet my shoulder, she cried as her memories of me came back, I embraced her; the warm feeling of her body against mine; the happier days I had spent with her came flooding back into my mind’s eye, I felt my tears well in my eyes, she was also my greatest sin; her death was the first in a string where I kept losing everyone dear to me. She pulled back and smiled at me, “Can you forgive me”? I asked wiping her tears, “I don’t want to be alone again”. I felt her soft lips kiss my forehead, I placed Celina on my back and we walked down the steps to the street, I enjoyed the quiet and soothing noise of Celina’s voice, “Hey dad, what’s this place called”? I looked behind me and saw the shrine grounds good as new, “This is the eastern shrine, the gate of the sky”. “Ok’s what the city called”? “Arune, a sub-cul-de-sac for fae in New Orleans”. “We’re in Louisiana”? “Yep”. I found myself in the crowded streets, humans and fae walked past us living harmony; “Jesus Christ, Celina… I was started to get used to not have these people gawk at me every time I walk through here”. “So what if I broke the veil between us and the visible plain of existence, they won’t care”. “You’re probably right”. She sniffed and rested her head on my shoulder, she slept gently as we walked forward; “Time to go home”.   
I found myself standing in front of my home, Celina woke up and yawned; “Where are we”? I looked at the complex, “Home”. I stepped in the front door and sat down in the lobby, everything was lit up like a Christmas tree, “So bright”. Celina marveled at the ceiling lights and reached her hand out, “You shouldn’t touch those when they’re on”. She retracted her hand as a snap of electricity hit her finger nail, I took her off my shoulder and sat her down on the couch; I blew on her finger, “You okay”? I looked at the calendar on the receptionist desk, “its December already… only a few weeks until Christmas”? I’ve been with them over six months, where has the time gone? “This path you’ve started them on can only end in destruction”. I leaned back in the chair, “Don’t you think I know that”? “Then how come you try”? “Because I’m sick of not being to do anything”. I looked at Celina, “You and Ragnarok, and the rest of them are the only semblance of kin I have left, I’m not going to lose any of you if I can stop it”. “The innocence of this world you hold so dear is gone now, there is nothing but desolation; how do you know that there is any future for the world”. “They are going to come again for us and everyone we hold dear, for this city you now call home will be burned to the ground, this time they will succeed in destroying everything we love”. I placed my hand on Celina’s head and tussled her hair, “Death is impartial, nothing will survive on that night; Sigma is going to destroy our home and family, can you continue knowing that everything you’ve worked for will be burned to ash”. “Since when did the impossible scare me; I’ll stop them even it’s the last thing I do”. “Ashton you understand there is an inherent contradiction to humanity”? “We desire peace, yet crave after conflict; reality is a paradox, this world is flawed in every sense, why do you want to save it”? “This is the only world I can see myself living in, I know that the world is flawed and marred by the ignorance and desires of people, the greed of humanity tainted the world; so you’re asking… what is worth saving or you asking why it’s worth saving”? “The answer: the love you have for the ones closest you prevents you from throwing everything about yourself away, it’s an odd feeling… even the most vile people share this emotion, in their hearts… no matter how dark you’ve become, a little light will always remain in your heart to show you the way”. “Now answer me: can you forgive yourself if you abandon everything you love, even if you knew that only you can save it from dying”? I looked into Celina’s eyes; something wasn’t right there wasn’t the flicker of spirit anymore, the girl in front of me wasn’t my real daughter, just an empty husk of her; I stared through the empty shell of her eyes, “I know you can’t, what makes you think I can… I’m not the child you’ve taken under your wing, I’m sorry I was taken from you, I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you in your grieving; the world I’ve come to see after I died was an unending nightmare; I teetered on the edge of fantasy and reality, slowly that bridge is crumbling, Ashton; I never wanted to become this, I’m slowly remembering who I am, I want to go back to a simpler time… when we were ignorant of the decay around us”. “In nothingness we find salvation, after darkness is truth… this life we know a prelude to what destiny truly is, everything will fade away; the dream of existence is just that, an echo in our sleep… open your eyes and see the world what it really is, can you call this a home then”? “Raison d'etre: a reason for living, Celina… I’ve lost everyone I’ve cared about as they died in my arms, my hands are stained beyond needing a simple cleaning; I’ll tell you why I want to save this world, life despite how fucked up everything is… it has a chance to become something worth living out, life is a place to carve out memories, there are plenty of storms in your life; but you can’t be battered down by each one, you can’t die each time something precious is taken right in front you, I took plenty of punches and so have you before meeting me… there is a reason for living no matter how desperate things are, never forget that… remember your purpose and fight to make it a dream. Despair and tragedy follow this line of work, a hunter is a protector first and warrior second, people like me stick around to put down the things that go bump in the night because no one else will; the terrors haunting mankind are destroyed by our hands, my friend, my sibling, my own flesh and blood… whoever they are if they threaten the safety of the world I know and love, I will destroy them into nothingness, even you the part of me where I found acceptance for what I am”. “Call me what you will, but I won’t ever renege on this vow, Celina…”? She wrapped her arms around me, felt her warm tears, full of the same grief and agony I hold inside; “You’re my kid for sure”, I placed her in front of me and wiped her eyes, the flicker of life came behind her irises; a glint of humanity shone behind Celina’s unfeeling stare, I could see the resolve to live again in her eyes; her face glowed with light. “Please don’t die on me, I’ve lost you once; I don’t want to be alone anymore”. I placed my hand at her side, it was cold; slowly she started fade into wisps of essence, I reached out for my daughter and nothing was there, I grasped at the fading shards of her being, I watched helplessly as they faded into nothingness… the echo of Celina was hushed out and I was left alone again, I felt a tear stream from my left eye: I cupped my face and started to cry leaning forward I fell off the sofa, curling into a ball on the floor; I wept more than other time in my life, for the first time… I felt the grief and despair get lighter, the wounds that scared my heart slowly faded away. She was both my daughter and my friend, the side of me that was cynic, I loved for her for who she was; now I learned to let go of it all, today I found myself in the last stage of grief: I finally found acceptance for my sins, I finally forgave myself what happened all those years ago, I wiped my eyes and placed my hand on my chest: “Wipe away O’ eternal memories of despair”. I slowly forgot the sadness and grief that plagued my life… “Celina, I can finally say goodbye to you; thank you for being there when you’re alive, thank you for watching over me now; thank you for helping me find peace, may you find fulfilment in the next life, now go and join your fellow angels”. A large weight was lifted off my chest, I stared at the ceiling with a cheeky grin on my face, I looked out the large glass planes and saw a beautiful sunset: The only peace I’m going to have for a while, better enjoy it while it lasts; there is a storm brewing, now I can fight with no regrets… this is the ultimate mercy you can give your enemy, to make them face their sins and make them come to terms with has happened… Sigma, the next time we meet will be the end of our struggle. Dear friends I’m sorry for dragging into my war, but I promise on my life I will see you through to the end.


	10. Episode Ten: Prelude to Judgment

I dropped my sword as I walked up the stairs of my previous home, I saw Harvey wearing a black BDSM mask with a zipper for his mouth; I watched his lips curve into a grin as he pulled out a large scalpel from the pocket of his warg leather vest; his abdomen flexed under the black muscle shirt, “Elaine, how have you been”? He was my inner demon? Why… Why do I have to kill the man I consider to my dad? Why do I have to kill the only family member that took care of me? On his feet was a pair toe tags, he tugged his rocker jeans and adjusted the decorative chains connected to the exposed skin of his lower back, “Are you prepared to die, my daughter”? “No I never was”. “I used to be a monster until I met you, you’re a good girl that didn’t deserve to die”. “So you took me in”? “Yes, my pride and joy, the only good thing that I’ve ever had was you. You showed that me I could be happy, I never wanted to let go of you”. “You always wondered where you came from… so I’ll tell you: I killed them, there I said it; just like that… it was so simple, it was pathetic; a dragon and a succubus shouldn’t have died from a slit to their throats, but then again I did carve them both up like a Christmas turkey”. I stared at Harvey blankly; no I was speechless… I couldn’t believe that he killed my parents, “Then why did you spare me”? “What did Nikolai and Astoria mean to you”? I picked up my sword and adjusted my kite shield onto my left arm, “Because you’d be a waste of life, if you died”. “As for them, I simply gave them the rest they deserved; they didn’t need me to tamper with their lives both of them have gone through enough suffering before they met me, I took in those strays because they had no home; Nikolai was battered to shit I found him in one of the marsh fields, surrounded by the lifeless corpses of those who would harm him and Astoria, the girl; she was much like you, that’s why I couldn’t bear to take her life, you three were the only ones, I found worthy of caring for as my kin”. He took his stance and closed the zipper of his mask; “Hear me now, today one of us will die; the fact you stand before me, means you’re strong to stand against whatever the world throw at you, my witness, my penance, and my dearest child… Elaine, I don’t want forgiveness, I want closure… for I am to you, can you give me this before I go”? “I buried that memory so deep in my heart that I could forget what had happened; Harvey as we’re concerned you are my family, but to kill my own flesh and blood is unforgivable”, I held my sword and against my shield: taking a deep breath I spread my feet to shoulder width and braced myself. “I’m not going to kill you, by any means; I don’t want revenge… I want to find peace in my life for once, in exchange I’ll give your peace for mine”. “Thank you, but before you we continue, I want you know something: Grief has five stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance”. “We stand at the doorsteps of finding the meaning behind our suffering, but for me there is no acceptance only insanity at looping through the process again and again, every day I see my sins and hear them call out for my name, maybe today will be different”. His lips curved upward behind the mask and adjusted his sandals; he sealed up the zipper of his vest and looked at me with hopeful eyes, “Let’s have some fun shall we”? Harvey lunged forward and sliced away in the air, I stepped back and smashed his face with my shield before smashing the base of his neck with my sword hilt; I grabbed the back of his head and kneed his face, I plunged my sword into his back and lifted him away from me; “It’s never that simple is it, Elaine”. I placed him on his feet and kicked his lower back, he slid the down the sword and hit the ground in a bloody lump… I reeled back clutching my forehead, a brief vison of my past showed up, I was in my home and my world was burning down around me. I snapped out of it and sidestepped to the left as Harvey thrust forward, I caught a glimpse of the tags on his right foot: they had our names inscribed on them, “Please strike back… the pain is so wonderful”. I caught his arm during the next swing and bent it out of the socket, I spun on my feet and wrapped my legs around his right shoulder, I smashed Harvey into the ground face first breaking his neck and left arm, I snapped his right arm complete as I caught my foot on the ground; I stood up and kicked his back, he went skidding across the floor and twitched as his bones reset into place; he stood up and cracked his neck. Harvey took off his leather vest as he undid the zipper, the vest dropped to the ground with a loud thud and he blurred toward me, I was stabbed in the gut and he disarmed my sword by slapping my wrist; he caught my sword by the tip and spun it around in his hand before stabbing me through the gut: Harvey followed with a sweep kick and removed the sword from my belly before trying to stab me through the neck, I caught the blade my clapping my hands to stop his thrust, I rocked on my back and spring kicked him in the gut, he stumbled back and I grabbed the sword by the handle as I shot up to my feet, tilting my balance I spun like a pinwheel and with a back handed slash I cut him in half ; inky blood sprayed profusely as I cut all his internal organs in two, I skidded to a halt as I watched the two halves slowly separate the bloody film and muscle as he dropped to the ground cleaved in two; I heard a sickening laugh mixed together with the sound of squishing organs, his sinews of his body reconnected and he stood up, as the blood from his wounds seeped back into his body. He popped his jaw as he clapped his butterfly cut head together with bloodcurdling squish, “That’s better”, I looked in horror… “What the hell are you”? “I’m jack the ripper”. He stepped forward and embraced me, I felt his scalpel drive between my seventh and ninth ribs; “It’s my turn now”. I was cut nine other places before I saw the blood drip out of my wounds, he slit my wrists and I was dropped to my knees as he kicked in my shins; I felt his blade poke through my head, stabbing my frontal lobe; he lifted me by my neck and tossed me across the ballroom, I smashed into a column; I felt my head bang against the marble and my vision fuzzed over, Harvey shot forward and smashed his fist into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me, the blood I coughed out splattered on his mask; he licked off my blood as he opened the zipper covering his mouth, “You’re delicious”. I staggered up and caught his wrist as he was about to deliver the finishing blow, I let go and fell back on my knees; I heaved for breath as let go of my sword and shield, I staggered away to the center of the room as I took off the scarf around my neck and took off my ruined armor, I left in a grey turtleneck sweater; I pulled the down the zipper covering my throat and pat down my tattered jeans, I retied the laces on my tennis shoes, I took a deep breath and fell over on my knees, I hit the ground face first, my wounds slowly healed and closed up; Harvey looked at me with pity, he approached slowly and rolled me on my back, he laid down next to me: “You could never beat me, no matter how many times you tried; you always failed, but you always got back up… I’m proud of you, Elaine”. I felt tears stream out of my eyes, “I killed them didn’t I”; I sat up and Harvey embraced me taking off his mask, I felt his warm arms wrap around my back’ “Let it out… it’s okay, you’re safe now… let it out”. The memories of my childhood came back, I discovered the fire inside me and let it out… my home burned to the ground with my family inside… but I was spared lying the ashes of everything that was. The odd thing there was no remains of anyone… did I burn them up into nothingness. But I was alone, I remember standing the library holding the charred remains of my teddy bear, I looked in the grey horizon and saw Harvey walking toward me down the ashen path; he cried tears of blood as I was taken in his arms. I fell asleep, in his warmth… the memory stopped. I looked at him again, “I’d do the same thing again and again, for all its worth… I’m glad I met you… Elaine… they never died… I hope you find them again, but please don’t be disappointed with whatever you come across”. I felt the tears flow out of my eyes as I came to realization that my life with Harvey was an illusion, “You were never real were you”? Harvey pushed me away, “I never was”. He wiped my eyes, “Tell me… are you happier now”. “Yes”. “Then I can leave”. “Go ahead and wake up”. I thrust my hand forward and pierced Harvey, I pulled out my hand ripping out his guts: “Forgive me”. The warm blood hardened over on my hand and I watched his body fade into the wind as red specs of dust, in my hand was an ever dimming crystal shard… the magic, I had fooled myself into believing was now gone. The blood crystal shattered my hand as I looked at my surroundings, it was old home; I stood in the burned down ballroom and looked up into the grey skies above me, I saw the light shine down from the clouds as they parted, I set down my pictures on the ground and placed the dust on top of the folder. With a snap of my fingers I set the document ablaze, the fires were blown out in a matter of seconds; I breathed a sigh of relief, in the horizon I saw the warm orange and purples in the sunset, the field around me was now starting to bloom with life, fresh sprouts came out of the ground; I placed my sword at my side and placed the shield on my back, I left the tattered remains of my armor on the extinguished flames; wrapping the white scarf around my neck I walked forward to an oddly shaped post in the middle of the ruins, hung on the arms I found a crimson gown with a phoenix emblem on the back; I found a charred note staked to the head of the post: “This is the remains of the Alighieri estate, as the heir; we entrust the family treasure… the family right you Elaine. With all love, our dearest. Your father and Mother: Dante & Lorain”. I put on the gown and tied the loose bands around my waist, I walked away from my past; I kneeled and closed my eyes, when I opened them; I was back in Harvey’s estate, a young burly man in church clothes greeted me as I found myself back in the Victorian style ballroom. This man was the real Harvey, the man who took care of me; in my parent’s stead, he was my godfather. “Harvey”, I hugged the stout man and he awkwardly embraced me; “My dear I am simply the butler remember”. “Master Dionysus await in the study, Elaine”. “I’m sorry never caught your name”. “Reginald Franklin, at your service”. Franklin held my hand as he took me down the stairwell, “Let’s not keep the young master waiting any longer, shall we”. Our footsteps echoed through the marble halls, we stood in front of a pair of double stain glass doors, I placed my hands on the carbide steel door handles; I opened the doors, as my eyes adjusted to inviting light inside, my eyes adjusted as I found Harvey sitting next to the planetarium doors in his study; he looked at me taking off his mask from earlier. He wheeled himself toward, before standing up he placed his cane on the ground; he shakily stepped toward me and held out his hand holding the remains of the soniferium crystal, “This was your favorite toy when you’re younger, you kids always grow up so fast; it feels like it was just yesterday, you were crying because Astoria took your lollipop”. He looked wistfully into my eyes; with a hearty laugh and jovial smile; he handed me a new crystal in the shape of a key, “Truly you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me… now I have to send you off again; happy birthday dear, how old are you anyways”? He kissed me on the forehead: “I’m twenty years old now”. I pocketed the key in my gown and hugged Harvey, “Feel free to come here when you want, this is also your home; for refuge or to pass the time with me and Reginald, for any reason come over”. “For now, enjoy the night while you’re young”. Harvey straightened his back and walked toward the other of the room propped up with his cane, he stepped into the planetarium and closed the doors behind him; Franklin handed me a glass of thick red liquid, “A toast”? We clinked our glasses: “Cheers”. We downed the liquid; as the wine lined my throat I felt a fire inside my stomach, Franklin smiled at me wiping the blood red smear on his mouth, I felt my vision blur and I blacked out; he took me in his arms, “Rest your heart and soul… my dear”.   
When I came to I found myself in the lobby of an apartment building, I sat up on the couch as I heard the elevator open, ding: I saw Ashton with a cup of coffee in one hand and birthday card in the other. I looked around me: I saw the lobby was decorated with streamers, balloons, and Christmas lights. He set down his coffee on the table next to my legs and sat down next to me on the couch, “It’s hard to believe that I’m just three years older than you”. He took a sip and handed me the mug; “Anyways happy birthday”. He passed me the embroidered red card:   
Dear Elaine, I’ve only known you for the past six months; but if anything thing else, any happiness I’ve found recently in life would have been in this time, I’m glad to have met you and everyone else. I can’t say I understand the grief inside your heart, I can’t say I ever understand anyone, but getting to know you I learned a couple things. One: You’re a brave young woman with a heart of gold, and two: you’ve become the person in my life, I can’t live without; you’ve joined in hopes seeking out the thrills in this life, but you and I know; we’ve got more than what we’ve bargained for, this goes for everyone here. More than anything: this is our family, this is our home now; for all I am worth to you, I hope you can be happy here.   
Sincerely Ashton Queen.   
I felt the tears well up under my eyelids, Ashton wiped them with the sleeve of monkey pajamas and embraced me; “I’d never thought in a million years, I’d ever meet someone like you; you’ve come to mean so much more to me, than a friend. I can honestly I say love you”. I wrapped my arms around Ashton, “Welcome home”. “You’re an asshole, but you’re my asshole; Ashton… I love you too, please I don’t want to be alone anymore”. “You never were, you just were afraid of opening up to the world”. “Is it wrong for people to want to understand each other”? I asked into his ear: “No, what’s wrong is trying to force a person to change, to conform to your image and standard of life… I’m fine with the person you are, are you”? I rested my head on his shoulder: “Now I am”.   
I tightened the steel buckle to my belt and made my pants cling to my waist, straightening out my button down shirt, I adjusted the collar and dusted off my huntress jacket; the cold night air howled as walked toward my destination, the old roads I walked on were replaced as I stood in a field of white magnolias, the moon shined brightly above me; I knelt in the center of the plain, I closed my eyes and took in the calming scents of the fresh blossoms. “Never thought it come to this”. I stood up and opened my eyes, I turned; slowly my heart sank as I saw Nolan standing in front of me; dressed in a black and white flowing robe with embroidered swirls on the hemming; his clothes brushed past the flowers as he stepped toward me, he buttoned his collar and folded it down to show his bloody, raw mouth; he licked his sharpened fangs. “You’re the only person I couldn’t stand killing, Astoria”. He smirked as he wiped away drop of blood under his left eye, “Any last words”? I held my saw-tooth blade with both hands, “Let’s end this”. I stepped back to dodge wide sweeping draw, Nolan danced around the field as he sidestepped my blows, I leapt up and brought my blade down on his head; he caught my sword with his hand and kicked me in the stomach; launched into the air I manifested my Hydra through my lower back and planted the legs back into the ground, I let go of the held pressure and sling shot myself to solid ground, I dropkicked Nolan in the face and crashed him into the ground, I swung around my limbs and cleared the cloud of dust hiding our vision; I heard a squishing noise, in the center of the field the flowers were stained black with Nolan’s blood; slowly the decay spread around us, I watched the petals shrivel and die. I walked up to Nolan and placed the barrel of my gun square to his forehead, he didn’t regenerate, he didn’t fight back… he just sat there waiting for me to end it. No this thing wasn’t Nolan it was just a figment of my imagination, the doppelganger squirmed and morphed into a mirror image of myself; “Be free and end this”. I cocked back the hammer of the pistol, I closed my eyes and squeezed the trigger, the shot echoed loudly, when I opened my eyes the black petals slowly chained into a deep shade of crimson; the magnolias were twisted into blood red lotus flowers, the azure moonlight shined down as I knelt in the field… I felt a sharp pain in my chest as I held my head in my hands as I rolled into a ball, I curled into the fetal position and cried out in agony, the memories I had repressed burned into my mind came into sight, I saw the image of a man clad in black hunter clothes; underneath the poncho he adjusted the bandolier of tungsten bullets around his chest and tightened the protective vest covering his grey sweater, the silver armor covering his arms and legs gleamed in the moonlight: “It’s a beautiful night, young huntress”. He tipped his wide brimmed hat, tracing around the golden edge he smiled, “Hello dear… it’s been a while”. I staggered up and faced him… I clutched my head in pain and wiped the blood under my nose, I saw his face as my vision came back; it was like the day I lost him to Nikolai’s rampage, he was young and vibrant, not the grizzled face of a hunter you’d expect but the opposite, an ever standing smile and bright eyes that never stopped radiating joy… he was the kind of person you’d feel safe around. After I was born my mother died in the process of birth, Nix was my biological father, he never held that against me, he loved me anyways, and taught everything he knew. “You’re just an illusion, Nix”. “Oh I assure you I am quite real, Astoria”. “You’re going down a dark road, and in time you’ll hit a dead end”. He cocked his pair of wheellock pistols, “My pupil, my daughter… I hoped to meet under friendly circumstances”. I manifested my hydra through my back, “Those guardian beasts are simply our expression of the plague that taints us… that defilement… we get used to it, it becomes a part of us… our sins define who we are”. He walked toward me, and placed his hands on my shoulders; he knelt down in front of me and looked in my eyes, I saw pride and joy in his eyes. “Your mother would be so proud of you, if she could see you now”. I broke down in tears, as I saw the memory of Nikolai killing my father; “You saved me that day… why couldn’t you let me die, just those like the people that abandoned you before”. He wiped away my tears, and embraced me again; “I can’t let you die because I loved you, like any parent would their child”. Nix looked at me and laughed, “It’s time you find your destiny, my child”. “I always love you”, he stood up and took me in his arms, and we walked down a brick road covered by fog. Nix’s steps echoed into silence; before I knew it our positions were switched, the lamp lights marked our path to a bed made of birch wood; he set me down on the frame and took a torch, I did the same with his body and set it down on an identical frame. I copied the motions of the image in front of me, both of us were consumed by cold flames; I laid in the frame holding the pictures near my chest… the fires never burned me… slowly my old self became entwined with the new part of me; we burned away and left only ash, I was lulled to sleep in the warm glow of my cremation. This is my purge, my burial… my rebirth. I awoke in the middle of a field of wild strawberries, I leaned back on my father’s gravestone; dressed in an identical set of his armor; my clothes were bleached in a pale white as albino gathered around me; I wore my mask and stared into the gray horizon, I stood up and walked out of the ritual site. I drew my sword and watched it glow under the pale twilight; I felt smile cross my lips as I brushed my hand across the spine of the blade; placing it back in my sheath I walked away from the field; the crows flew away cawing, one by one they dropped dead from the skies, dive bombing into ground as skeletons of who they were; the sound of crunching bones, grew fainter as I was engrossed my thoughts I walked forward in solitude, the world around me seemed desolate… my life seemed empty, ever since I bit into Nolan… I wondered what I had become, I wondered who I was now… currently both sides of me were dead and gone, something more twisted had come into existence a side of me containing my humanity and immorality, a piece of myself that I never knew existed… by definition I am a true mortal, dictated by neither innocence nor guilt, only the drive of survival and the basest instincts within all of us… the virus that my father had described is the pain and guilt we feel whenever we do wrong, that manifest is our guardian beast, the darkest part of us that we never want others to see, the part of us that we fear will overtake us and send into an abyss of despair. Call it what you will, but this is what I call my madness; the shattered pieces I shift around to make sense of the world I know; my prison, my sanctuary. That is what the hydra is to me, the intrinsic values that define the deepest part of us lies in a strand of the beasts identity, a piece of them is already present when we are born, it’s only a matter of when we accept this part of us and go down that slope; despair is the trigger to realizing the potent of the beast of inside of us, hope simply keeps asleep and weak enough to make sure it doesn’t snap and break us in the process. It is a virus, ingrained into the deepest part of being and essence, but it is what gives us our humanity and empathy… this disease is more a bridge to connect lives together more than anything else in this life time. I kept on walking into the distance in peace and quiet, until I stood in front of the apartment building; I was finally home. I walked in the main entrance and took a seat in the lobby, I took a look in the mirror mounted above one of the nightstands; I stood up and noticed I’d grown a few inches since I was last here. My once black hair had turned into a metallic silver and looked like a greasy bird nest, I took off my mask and looked at my face; my skin had gotten its color back, I smiled awkwardly and saw my cheekbones protrude out of my face, I brushed wild bangs out of my face. I took my seat back on the couch I stood up from; I closed my eyes and drifted into sleep, now I can a deep breath and relax.   
We walked in the lobby and saw Astoria lying on the couch asleep, “She’s beautiful”. I said I watched Ashton pick her up and place her in his arms, the white crow feathers of her armor brushed against my skin, it was soft to the touch and warm… full of life, just like its wearer; it had a sense of eternal optimism but something at its core was deeply wrong, an affliction or disease. But the girl I saw was Astoria, the girl I come to know as my sister; yet something sinister lie dormant in wait, something inside her had found consciousness; it was now waiting to come out and play. For a moment her shadow faded out of existence and blurred back into reality as Ashton walked toward the elevator; “Elaine, you okay”? “Yeah, just spacing out”.   
I blearily looked Elaine and Ashton, we rode the lift to the penthouse suite. “Hey guys”. I croaked out, Ashton set me down on the cold floor of the elevator and helped me to my feet; I looked at them and smiled, I felt something tug inside me; something was outside the doors of home, it was waiting for us to fall into its trap, I bared my new fangs and as they looked into my piercing crystal blue eyes. I flexed my hands and bone white claws grew out of my fingernails, “So you feel it too”? “Stay in here, I’ll handle this one”. “No we’ll take it down together”. Elaine took out her submachine gun, and took aim into the hallway; Ashton yanked on a pin for a smoke bomb, “Three… two… one”. “Ding”. He threw the grenade into the hall, as it burst; I went on all fours and pounced out of the lift as the doors opened, I burst through our front door and landed near something the size of your average baby boy, the lifeless golem frame reacted to the broken core I had with me; I pulled out the core and held it near the frame, slowly it glowed to life before the signs of life ceased completely, the core… no the piece of Nikolai I had left faded into dust right before my eyes and slipped out of my fingers.  
“Astoria”. My voice trailed off as I her holding the lifeless frame, crying her eyes out; I switched on the safety and holstered my weapon, “No... Damn it”. I saw her hands stained with the ash from the decomposed core, Ashton placed his hand on my shoulder shaking his head; “Give her some time”. I walked up to Astoria and sat next to her, I saw the ash from the core; I wrapped my arms around her and she cried on my shoulders. “We’ll fix him right”? She looked at me with hopeful expectation: “Astoria, I’m sorry; Nikolai’s conscious was born from the trauma he faced when he was your caretaker, we can’t bring that piece of his identity back anymore”. She let out a dejected sigh, and laid on the wood floors; “I can’t put him through the same scenarios again to form his consciousness can I”? “No, it’s not possible to have the exact copy of a Nikolai-class golem”.   
I wiped the tears from my eyes, “I can’t believe he’s actually gone, he was built to last forever and he knew it... damn it why I am so stupid to be attached to a machine”. “Because he wasn’t just a machine”, Ashton laid down next to me; “That man wasn’t a tool, or a weapon; he was thinking and breathing sentient lifeform, just like all of us; that’s why its hurts to lose him”.   
I felt a hand on my cheek as I sat back up, Elaine wiped my eyes dry: “No more crying, Astoria; golems can’t be rebuilt as they were, but they can be built from the base used to being with; what we rebuild won’t be Nikolai, but someone you can shape as your own”. “That identity is now gone, I know it’s going to be hard but let’s start from scratch”. I looked at Elaine, and smiled; my fangs and claws reverted back to normal teeth and fingernails, I embraced her; “He’s been through hell Elaine, before and after he’s met me; a part of me will always want him back, but I wonder if I can sleep at night knowing I dragged him out the grave to stick with me until I can live without him”. “So what’s your call”? Ashton asked me, lighting a cigarette “Let him sleep, I don’t want him to experience anymore pain and suffering; we’ll build a new golem, Nikolai already lived and died in this cruel world, I don’t want to responsible for dragging back in”. Ashton walked up to me and pat my head, “You really have grown up… I’m proud of you”.   
I looked through the sniper scope: “Target is in sight, but where are the others”? “I only see three people”. “Rachel, you need to patient; our friends will arrive in due time, for now let’s observe”. “Damon, we’ve got two and half weeks to prepare for that assault; you think these guys are going to help us”? “They don’t have much choice, if their home is on the line”. “Let’s start this evening with a bang shall we”? I smiled at Damon; “You have any idea, who these guys are”? “Since when did we ever”? He chuckled and cocked his M4 carbine; the jovial expression on his face hardened as he adjusted the holographic sight; “Let’s move in”. I holstered my anti-tank rifle and followed Damon down the hiking trail. We walked in silence; “Hey Rachel, don’t tell me you’re nervous”. “I kind of am, those guys beat out Sigma of all people”. “Maybe it was fluke”. “Or maybe not, these guys are dangerous”. “Correct if I’m wrong but aren’t we the danger”? “Yeah I guess we are”. “Come on, we got a party to start”.   
The trees rustled around me, it was a calm late fall day; the gray skies yet cried snow, I took in a breath of crisp air as I held a broken off shard of my friends resting place, I sat on the steps of his tomb; I felt a smile crawl across my lips as I imagined his ruddy complexion, still in immaculate condition, the area around me was flourishing with life. Inside, Nicholas rested; unaware of the chaos in the world… after all he had been through this was the least I could for him. It was a shame, the last time saw him was on his deathbed looking into unsure eyes; something happened that day, something he heard broke his unflinching resolve… that’s what scares me the most, what did he hear that made him go back on everything he stood for. I sat still in thought and recreated the moments that led up to his death in my mind.   
I stood at the footstep of the North Pole; nothing is ever the way is the depicted, this place… it wasn’t your quaint suburbs, it was place of industrial progress and scientific learning, the main workshop: was the size of a small cathedral, to see it in a decrepit state with all of its defenses destroy was quite unnerving; to be more accurate, a storm of fangs and claws ripped through this haven, none of the elves or reindeer were to be seen. The town was painted black with motor oil, and mechanical limbs were spread on the ground, little pieces of ripped green cloth were strewn about hanging the destroyed walls of the shops and homes of this quaint little village; “Nicholas, you really should clean up after playing”. I called out, only a faint breeze answered me; I heard a deep low growl, and in front of me was a beast; it had a feminine body, plump limbs and a well-defined bust, she licked the ground and spat out the glittering oil that ran through the elves. “Nolan learned that the hard way”, I walked up and kicked her in the stomach, “You my dear have a lot to answer for, first you take my friends then you desecrate these hallowed grounds”; she stood on her own feet and I saw her jet black main ripple as her beady ash color eyes changed into a midnight blue color, I cracked my knuckles and Anguish manifested himself out of my hands as a set of claws; black three inch nails coated my fingers, I flexed my hands and lunged forward, she hopped over me using my shoulders a launch pad; I heard her snicker, I grabbed her by the leg; I spun on my feet and smashed her body into back brick wall of the toy workshop, she landed on a conveyor belt with a pained cry and was pelted by a dump plastic animal figurines. Shaking off the toys she leapt up and pounced out the second floor window after climbing up the dispenser; shattered glass lined the factory floors as I heard her howl, the elves that were camped in here awoke from their shut down and looked at me with bewildered eyes full of fear. I approached one of them and retracted my claws; “Stay in here after you gather everyone in the village, understand”? She nodded and skipped off into the streets, opening the main doors; I followed the path of destroyed brick and mortar to a field lined with empty shallow graves, half buried caskets creaked as the winds howled past me; my footsteps crunched under the snow and ice covered roads, in the center of the field of was a blood stained sepulcher, with the marble door blown off the alabaster frame; I saw the cracked pieces of marble sinking into the snow, I stepped inside and found the body of my friend: it was torn to pieces, and covered in claw marks; I heard faint breathing as the mangled corpse made its attempt at a smile. I rushed over to my friend and watched over him as he healed, slowly I saw the body frames of a jolly old man and his children. The elves that stood guard in here, woke up and looked at me pointing their pine spears at my knees; “You guys aren’t that menacing you know”. Nicholas sat up leaning on the wall and the elves stood down, I sat in front of him; “What is that thing”? He coughed out shiny blood, the viscosity was almost like cough syrup; the cherry scented blood made my stomach turn, I wrapped my scarf around my nose and tied the ends around the back of my head; I helped him to his feet, “Ragnarok” he coughed out, “I’m so glad to see you again”. He wheezed as we walked out his tomb, “Nicholas save your energy”; I placed him on my back and the elves stood by me circling around my legs with their spears pointed to the tall grass of the field. I saw his home and kept walking forward, I felt weight of my friends body lift out of my hands, a blur of teeth tore through between us and she grabbed Nicolas by the throat; I was kicked back, I staggered up and ran after them, he struggled to get loose by clawing at bulky arm with his bare hands; she swung him around smashing him into the stone cross grave markers ; I can tell you this, he certainly isn’t the jolly glutton most people think he is: the man wasn’t a giant by any means, he the build of an average man, only slightly more muscular and taller, but he had the brains of an inventor, all with the creative touch of an artist. Your renaissance man, if you will; yet that man could fight like the beast that was about to rip his throat out right now. I stood back up and recalibrated my balance; I ran toward where I last saw Nicholas, hearing the growl behind me, I rolled out of the way and turned on the balls of my feet, I ran and tackled another one of those things, tearing my hands into its throat, tore out his neck and stuffed it down his neck, I turned my head and watched Nicholas get slammed into the ground back first, he poked her eyes and kicked her in the groin; he crawled back as she fell on her knees with a whimper, Nicholas followed with a roundhouse kick to her head snapping her neck, she hit the ground and cracked her skull open on a sharp bed of gravel. The beast burned away as the last breaths of life escaped from her mouth, a thin film of blue flame coated the gravel path as the body burned into a pile of smoking ash; I handed Nicholas a torn off branch from a pine tree shaking off the bristles. We walked toward his home out in the center of the graveyard, around us were more of those things; deep howls echoed through the night as we prepared for the pack of wolves that surrounded us. I locked the doors of the house and looked out the windows, shadows of the beasts danced as the lamps blazed brightly around the home; we were safe for now, I sat on the rocking chair and looked at my friend sit on his cot; the fireplace crackled as we sipped the hot cider, I sighed as I saw him slowly fade away as he laid in bed, a little bit of essence slowly burned away. “You should have called me sooner”, he coughed as he sat up; barely retaining his body to this plane, he started to fade in and out of existence as he pointed to the holly branch cradle. I saw a faint smile as he started to disappear completely, for a brief moment his joy was overcome by something, a look of terror flashed across his face and he was wiped from existence; “A testament to faith my dear friend, rest in peace”. I brushed my hand across my eyes wiping away the tears, I looked inside the cradle and saw a beautiful baby girl; she had olive skin and shined like the morning sun, her smile brightened the room. “You’re an angel, aren’t you”? I looked at the specs of light that hung around in the room, this house kept safe by the spirits of mother and father; this place was her sanctuary, as it was mine once before. She giggled as I took her in my arms, she looked at me with a curious expression before tugging on the back of my head; I placed her on my head and walked out the house, “Let’s make this place a home”. I pressed my hands into the ground and banished the remaining beasts in the vicinity; the howls were silenced and the grey skies were cleared, stark light illuminated the winter morning. All of the carnage and disaster that happened was erased from view, the land was reset to where none of the madness happened; I stood in an empty field… the north pole I knew was nowhere to be found, it was barren and somber, the snow started to fall gently. I looked at the simple cottage behind me, it was all that was left of my friend and his life here.   
I left the field, holding the warm bundle to my chest. She slept in my arms as we walked away from this place: “I need to find you a home, little one”. “But first what should your name be”. Opening her eyes, she stroked her chin and gave a puzzled look, she puffed her lips as she gave up, making her best attempt to shrug her shoulders, I heard a light sigh. We walked in silence for a while “Kefira, you like that”? She nodded her head, “Then, Kefira it is”. I saw her smile and close her eyes. We walked for some time in silence, the world was still and empty; plain and simple, nothing could harm her here; another safe haven far away from everything, it’s been a while since I paid him a visit. I left Kefira on the base of the steps and there he was to greet me, right on time; the thing is, this man never really exists in what we know as the flow of time, simply exiting and enter the stream as he wishes. Damon smiled and extended out his mechanical arm, the polymer casting shined in the white emptiness surrounding us; his tunic and robes flowed as he walked down the steps of his home. “A beautiful day isn’t”? He looked at Kefira, “One day she’ll come looking to find me, give her my name and give her these when she’s ready to join your ranks”. I laid on the ground the remaining pieces of Nicholas’s armory in the North Pole, “This isn’t an orphanage, Ragnarok; above all this is no place for a child to call home”. “Let her stay here, I won’t drag her down with me on the path I’ve started… please take care of her”. “An angel has no place sinners, my friend and brother: Ragnarok, her awakening and following life will be one of great tragedy; you should know that no matter what we do to keep her safe, she will slowly lose herself to this world. Nicholas entrusted you to be Godfather, not me”. “Damon, she has no place with me; I’m sorry, but where I’m going… there is no hope, no light; only despair and loss”. He took a deep sigh, “She’s lost her original home and family, have a heart; please… I’m begging you”. “Take an angel my wings, well isn’t the hardest thing I’ve done, after all there is an omnipotent space deity living with my family and I: I accept the role as her caretaker, but under this condition: One day in the future, I will come for you to settle my debt; until then prepare to do your best to survive”. I opened my eyes and the pressure of the air around me changed, a lightness of joy entered this desolate place… for once, I could genuinely smile at the world around me; she stood before me, wiser and stronger since I left her in the care of Damon. A grown woman, with a beautiful and even tan; a light caramel complexion; by even the most scathing of eyes, they would consider her beautiful; her wings were pure as a driven snow, she looked at me with deep chestnut brown eyes which flickered with emotion. I stood and faced her, with a smile her guardian beast manifested as four whip like appendages; her limbs crackled the leaves on the ground as they swung around hissing at the air. Something flashed and I saw what the thing in front of me was; I manifested Anguish and flexed my hands, my claws came in and got on all fours; I formed my tail, my ears became sharp and pointed. I put on my mask and let out a low growl. “Sigil of Crona: Terra”. The air around me was corrupted as the entropic energy inside me seethed and bled out of my pores; an aura of black with a blood red overtone overtook my original essence, the lush flora rotted completely at my presence; Kefira placed her hands to her sides and took a deep breath; she placed on her mask and I heard a small giggle masked under her breath. “Come to me and find peace”. For a moment I saw Nicholas standing in front of me instead of Kefira, I flashed back to that day where our fate were forever changed; it’s clear I have a lot to atone for, my purging begins with this first step. I placed the pictures in the goblet behind and lit the contents inside ablaze; blue flames burned the burdens of guilt I felt toward Nicholas. Kefira stood next to me as I completed ritual, she looked intently yet remained quiet as I finished; we knelt at the goblet and closed our eyes to pray. I pressed my hands to take a bow as I stood up, she did the same and took her position in front of me from earlier. The house behind me that was slowly falling apart for the past couple of years; now was gone without a trace, the last bit of Nicholas’s spell finally broke today. We circled each other and gazed intently at each other; testing the waters, to be honest no one wants to make the first move… especially in a match like this; see the photo film when burned before the match between you and guilt begins; a special condition is set on the battlefield of our choosing, the effect took place as the essence of memory frames burned completely: I smiled and braced myself, the ritual effect was a single blow kill to each of the fighters; as we entered the ring I put up my fists, “One round, any fighting style is allowed, winner is decided by knockout or death”. “Agreed”, I bowed and she returned the favor. She dashed forward with the speed boost from her flapping wings, she extended her hand and hit me in the chest with a palm strike; I felt the impact of the blow ripple through my body, I took a deep breath and repelled the impact out my body, I sent Kefira skidding back on her feet. “You should be dead”. “After everything I’d been through, something like this doesn’t even tickle”. “A single blow kill, cannot affect someone like me; to be more accurate it does not affect my sigil, an ultimate defensive technique”. I extended my hand and matched her fist with my palm, she went on her hands and did a head spin; I swatted away the kicks to my head, I grabbed her by the feet and swung Kefira around in a hammer throw; I let go her of legs and sent her flying into one of the evergreens; she rebounded by landing her feet on the bark and slingshot herself forward, I grabbed her by the collar of her tunic mid corkscrew and threw her into the ground; I followed with a kick to her gut and sent her flying upward, I leapt up and caught her at the zenith of my throw, flipping her on her back; I kneed her midpoint of her spine and snapped it half. I wrapped her body in my arms and spun in the air for a piledriver, she broke free my grip by extending her wings out; I was dropkicked in my stomach, I smashed into the ground back first and stared into the heavens as I saw her dive bomb toward me. I placed my hand out at the last possible moment and grabbed her fist as she was about to pound me into the ground, I tossed her into one of the many grassy boulders that decorated the forest. I stood up and raised my arm to block her flying kick, I grabbed her by the leg and smashed her back first into the ground; I sent the shattered pieces of her spine ricocheting into her organs; holding her arm I smashed her down again this time breaking the spinal connection to her neck, I tossed her in the air grabbed her by both legs and smashed the face side of her torso into the ground; I heard multiple cracks as her rib cage shattered along with the small bones in her face. I set her feet on the ground and smashed her skull into the ground with a backflip. I adjusted myself by spinning on the palms of my hands and arc kicked Kefira in the stomach, I sent her flying into bundle of trees; upon impact they crashed on top of her with a loud clap and small explosion of dust. I breathed heavily, as I watched her stand back up from the beat down; she staggered toward as I watched her bones reset into place, the torn flesh, tissue, and muscles regrew as I threw the bony part of her raw arm. I formed a psychowheel in my hand and paced my breathing with the pulses of energy, I thrust my palm forward as the bloodied creature lunged me; “You are not the girl I left behind all those years ago, you’re the amalgamation of my grief and sin; the romanticized champion I’ve envisioned of you and your father”. I watched my inner grief disintegrate into nothing, “Sadly all you are, all I am is a disappointment; may you be watching either of you, have the heart to forgive me”. I blasted away the charred ashes of my inner self; this time the real Kefira was here, standing behind me; I saw the same person as before… but the one in front of me was the real person, she gave me the real smile as the thing from before. I was embraced by her, I reverted back to normal; she cried tears of joy as she saw me again: the world around me was engulfed in light; as the white cleared out, I stared at her face… the same expression of curiosity and joy was in her smile; as I saw her when she was baby. I finally understood why that expression, appeared on his face; an unsettling feeling came over me, as Kefira looked into my eyes. “Post tenebras lux”. After darkness light; how ironic, that the defender of humanity was trapped in the dark of ignorance, of iniquity… now it’s come full circle; to be completely honest I was never meant to be either a hero or villain, Nicholas and I were exempt predestination… we could shape our fate… destiny, whatever you called it; but there was a higher power we had to answer to, a thing that we couldn’t simply ignore or it be the death of us: the identity of existence, our purpose; knowing there is God and existing, is different from knowing God and following what he has told you to do with your life. The former is for people like me and Nicholas, we are feared for our ability to escape a life that is set in stone, yet we are confined by limits of our stupidity and greed. That day Nicholas died, he simply realized became the thing he set out never to become: a life going through the motions in tedium. The light that tears away the ignorance in our lives, is a stubborn bitch who kicks in the ball sack and rubs salt in our wounds after slicing us to bits; but you know what… fuck you. I let go of Kefira, and faced her in reality. Everything in my hallucination, shattered decorated the ground we stood on, a barren field with glowing colorless crystals protruding out of the ground, different angles of sunlight changed the shades of color reflecting of the hardening slags of her spell. “You’ve been enlightened, but unlike him, you survived… how”? “Because”: I drew my sword, it glowed and hissed with rage; “I never take what’s given for an answer”.   
I looked at the address of the coordinates: “309 S-ward”; “Why does that sound so familiar”? I opened the doors of the warehouse; I yanked on the rusted handle and tore off the left steel door, it was pitch black inside; I stepped in with my sword drawn, I snapped my fingers and illuminated the room for a brief second, I saw a simple wooden bench with blood surround the floor around it; I saw myself lying on the bench as I watched my impromptu surgery. My insanity faded in and out memories; my vision changed back and forth from the blackness around me and to my operation, I snapped out it and I faced a satyr with bloodied teeth; he made a smile and shut out my light; stepping forward I sealed the entrance behind me with a seal of light. Until I find my answers, I’m not leaving and neither is he. I sheathed my blade and walked toward the center of the warehouse, I heard my footsteps echo off the sheet metal walls; I closed my eyes and became one with the darkness, I stopped and took in my surroundings: I felt out my opponent lurking in the shadows, I focused and heard his hooves scratch the ground as he circled around looking for an opening, breaking my train of thought I flashed back to the operation that saved my life; there they are, I saw Draco operate on me removing the strains of the virus that ran through my blood, I flashed back once more and saw Thane paced back and forth looking at my x-rays; clipping them on the board he started prepping and sterilizing the donor organs he had in cold storage on the lab table on the far left side of the clinic were all the scientific work was done, Ragnarok, ran through the medicinal cabinet searching desperately for the ingredients to make an antidote for the festering poison he found in my white blood cells. He walked over to operating table with set of forceps and a steel dish, Draco stood back as he finished examining my body for all my injuries, it almost seemed ethereal seeing us like this; like we were never anything else before we became the people we are today: Thane, Draco, Ragnarok, and myself… it’s hard to say and even its harder to watch that we were once was the world considered as normal, if I remember correctly we had a general grasp of our elemental abilities around this time in our lives; we’d been practicing and shaping our abilities to get a better control of them, and slowly the guardian beasts inside of us was awakened; for them it was a simple matter of getting enough practice to use it effectively in any scenario, as for me something went wrong, every time I used my beast I got sicker and sicker; on the day I figured out how to call my inner demon out; I was going to lose my life, it was a time of extreme stress and danger; about three hours earlier I looked at friends in the brief moment they were about to die with me; there we were trapped in what was going to be the epicenter of a drag sink, the world around us slowly contorted as all natural laws of physics were broken. To put it simply reality fractured slowly; everything around us was turned into a fine dust, then with a sudden snap the atomic structure of anything within the blast range was destroyed completely; as the dust settled we sat in the middle of ground zero, ultimately creating the ruins of the old city… yes I’m talking about the one Ragnarok and I wiped off the map; I digress… Pazuzu finally came out at the cost of my life force; I was happy I saved my friends, and I do use that term lightly; a sphere of light and dark covered us from the impact of the blast, I let go of the shield and blacked out; I heard the hushed murmurs of the other survivors at the city center… the second sphere around them collapsed as I lost consciousness; a warm feeling on my chest was the last thing I felt before a bandage covered the large gashes on my chest and stomach. Rushed to the dockside clinic, I was placed on a cold steel table and here we are. Taking a seat on the floor I looked at my friends as the memory played out, as their guardian beasts kicked their healing into overdrive; they gathered around the table and stood over me for a prayer, Thane and Ragnarok left Draco alone after leaving the preparations they made with arms reach; Draco stood next to me with a set of surgical tools and took deep breath. “I’m not losing anyone else, Nolan; I swear to god, please stay with us”. He wiped the tears in his eyes, and started working on me; he removed the little pricks of my element left in my body as the shields collapsed, he cut my chest open after removing the blood stained bandages; I watched a viscous black liquid drip from the bandages as he dumped them in a hazardous waste basket, before taking out my infected organs he injected a vial of purplish-blue fluid into the vein in my arm; I looked at my vitals on the digital stand, the IV’s measured my condition as stable even though I was torn to shit. Draco hands moved deftly; in the time it took me to blink he cut my chest open, no blood splattered; as he replaced the organs in my body the motion of his hands blurred out, first the lungs; then the intestines, then the liver, then the kidneys, and finally the heart… all in that time he didn’t bother with any of the instruments, he just removed whole organs intact with minimal damage to my innards, he placed the synthetic printouts in my body and set the coding to match my now corrupted blood, I walked up closer and saw that the organs inside me were now pulsing with life almost instantly as he placed the conduits near the veins for connection; the timer on the clock just ticked over thirty minutes as he finished sowing up the insertion wounds for my prosthetic organs , lastly he applied the disinfectant on the sutures and the now closing wounds covering my arms and legs; before placing my body in sitting position he checked my vitals and smiled; turning off the display, he removed the IV’s in my right arm: crushing ingredients for the antidote in a mortar and pestle he made a forest green poultice; applying the mixture to vial of somatic gel he placed everything in a centrifuge; finally placing everything in a syringe he injected the concoction into the base of my neck; my body started to get some of its color back and soon my complexion returned a somewhat peachy state. “Not bad for a washed up hack if I say so myself”. A look of fear shot across Draco’s face as my hair was bleached pure white, and my skin turned into deathly pale; I felt my body and it was cold as ice, I placed my ear on my chest and heard nothing; Draco checked for my pulse and breath, he staggered back with a look shock on his face; Thane looked at me on the table and prepped the defibrillator; “Clear”. He pressed my chest and my lifeless form hit the table, once… twice… and more one time, to see if my heart could maybe restart; but nothing, my arm was reconnected to the display IV’s there wasn’t anything no pulse, no brain activity, nothing; by definition I couldn’t have been deader… “So this how I became the way I am”. “You want to break it to him”? “No he’s been through enough today… we all have”. “That attack today… Damn it”! Draco slammed his fist on the lab table he was using to prop himself up, “Why did that bastard choose Nolan, he wasn’t supposed to die Thane”. I watched Thane embrace Draco, “Let it out, it’s okay Draco; he’ll be fine, I just know it”. Ragnarok walked up to the table; he looked at me with regret in his eyes and placed a white sheet over my body, “Thank you… both of you; I know we haven’t always gotten along but this really means a lot to me”. Draco walked up to Ragnarok, “I’m so sorry”. “When I asked you what it would be like to lose a patient you care about, I’m sorry for saying that”. “Ragnarok, a street doctor is bound to hear shit like that… please don’t hate me for this”. “No I can’t hate you, as things are considered we’ve made up today all of us”: I felt Thane’s hand on my shoulder, “let’s give him until morning… for now let’s get some rest it’s been a long day”. One by one the left the room, I was left on the table and the clinic’s lights were shut off for the night; I kept watch on my body, time crawled by as my limbs started to twitch with life; I looked at the glow in the dark clock on in the display screen for a timer; at around 3:41 AM I was reanimated and sitting the dark, completely unaware of everything that had happened to me. The first time I died was I brought back to life in the course of six and a half hours after the operation ended at 9:10 PM; I heard my stomach grumble in the dark, I watched myself stand up and stretch; watching myself yawn, I saw myself feel out the wall for the switch, as the lights flashed on, I watched myself walk toward the cold storage, I found the preserved bodies from the syndicate troops that attacked us in the afternoon; I stripped off the more intact pieces of ballistic armor from their corpses; I left the full set outside the doors of the storage, sealing the lock to the morgue, I walked over to the small collection of gear in a sealed off part of the clinic: stepping into the armory and lab; Nolan took one of their standard issue navy blue sweater and black cargo pants from the evidence locker. He put on the scavenged armor and took his weapons out of the armory; finally I watched myself turn off the lights of the clinic and walk out the main door sealing it behind me with the dual sided lock.   
The memory stopped and I was standing face to face with a satyr, in a lit up clinic; “For a moment I thought you died on me”. “No, I just been thought; sorry for ignoring you, but there is something I take care of first”. I set the pictures in front of me and set them ablaze with a clear conscience; “So you’ve made up with the grief in your heart”. “Not quite, I finally found the truth as to why I am like this, why I am a monster”. “You’re a wise man teacher”. “It’s been six months since I last saw you and Kefira, how have you two been”? “Quite well, actually”. “That’s good to hear, it’s been an interesting string of events since we met, don’t you agree”. I dropped the act, “You’ve been busy haven’t you Viktor”? “So have you”. “It was quite a shock to know you joined up Delta”. “Why did you join Ashton, Alpha is doomed to crash and burn; why don’t you leave before Sigma burns down this city with them”. I stood up and felt the blood flow back in my feet, “Hey Viktor do you know what the guardian beasts are”? I cracked my knuckles and toes; “In the six it’s been since we last met, I learned a few things; the beasts inside of us users if you will are our disease, yet they function as an emergency exit for us in times of dire need”. “You, me and anyone else who controls an element is infected with the thing that gives our ability for regeneration, for us to survive countless killing blows and keep on moving; the virus inside of us is known as the Beastkin strand; we were born this way, separate from the rest of the world, call it a gift or an affliction that’s your choice; but the more we use our beasts, the faster kill ourselves; imagine this is as a type of cancer, a tumor won’t kill you immediately the negative effects will accumulate before our bodies can’t take anymore, it’s a slow and agonizing process where each time we rely on our beasts our humanity and sense of life erodes little by little, only leaving an empty shell; what gives our immortality is not a blessing anyway, it’s a curse that will change the very essence of who you are”. “The strain varies for each person, our ability to control an element comes from which beast strand we are infected with; the guardian we talk to in our minds are simply hallucinations caused by the guilt inside us”. “Whatever happened that day doesn’t bother me anymore; if have to be like this for the rest of my remaining life so be it: to be a beast is to abandon your humanity for the ultimate need in your heart, that vow to never cross threshold is what will keep from losing myself”. “You’re insane”, I looked at Viktor, “Am I”? “Humanity is a blurred line Nolan, naïve ideals will only get you killed in the end; do you honestly think that vow a will keep you from destroying one of our kin, mere words cannot stop our actions when our hearts are set on that course. You’ve realized that the strand inside while granting strength and potential to achieve the impossible, is ultimately going to be our downfall; that much I can understand, but it’s foolish to deny yourself what you truly seek after; the point of this existence is to meaning and fulfill your purpose for living, if you deny that; then what is the point”? “There is no predestined fate for people like us, we carve our own paths; mine is lined with blood and sorrow, yet there are those clean spots I’d be more than happy to walk back to: I made this choice as atonement for my sins, “It must have been quite the offer for you to renege on your vow as a mercenary Nolan”. Viktor stood up and dusted off the silken fur of his beefy legs: “It wasn’t an offer he made that enticed me to join”; I stared Viktor in the eyes: “What shocked me the most is that people keep on living even when their lives are measured out to the exact second they will die; this virus’s worst symptom is that our spirit becomes weak and we are unable to do anything, it gives a sense of power that kills whatever aspirations we had started so desperately to pursue; our hearts and minds lack the determination, the will to continue living, that is what the decay inside of us that grows from our reliance on our abilities; apathy is the cause of what rots from the inside”. “I joined this team because this what I need to feel I’m worth something, to feel happy for once without being torn up inside; like I said this the way I see it to cleanse myself of the wrong I’ve done”. “You’re a lost cause”; Viktor placed his hand on the telescopic wand holstered to his right thigh: “The place you call home will be razed to the ground, can you stand against those odds knowing that they will very will destroy everything you’ve come to love”? “I’ll answer you, when you tell me this: why are you involved in this game of ours”? “The agreement of conflict is between Alpha and Sigma; tell how you’re wrapped in this mess”? “If I told you that worse things were to come would you believe me”? “Yes, I would”. “First I want you to know this, Delta means your team and city no harm; secondly, a kill team is coming for all our heads; those monsters don’t mess around if they want something dead it will be, Nolan; team XI is coming to wipe out everyone in the local sector”. “Damon saw that Alpha team will win against Sigma, you send them packing for the hills; you win the battle, if left alone you will surely die against the next set of enemies”. “Heed my warning and prepare for what comes next; in the span of six months after your victory against Sigma, team XI will come for you: you’ve been warned, prepare whatever means to survive against them and we’ll do our best to see you through the storm”. “An interesting turn of events”. I said to myself, I looked at Viktor walk out of the clinic backdoor: I stood gazing into empty as I took in the news; “Team XI… where have I heard that name before”? I sat one of the chairs in the waiting area and rested my head against the wall to think, as it came to me; I had a sudden realization of who they were, a group of conquerors sitting a mighty castle in the sky, ten veritable gods sitting in their Olympus planning to execute their wrath amongst us mortals: “Well that’s not good”. I stepped outside and saw my pupils standing on the boardwalk.   
I looked at Clinic before leaving docks; Kefira appeared next to me with a dive bomb, her wings opened and she stopped herself by skidding on the ground; with singes in her auburn hair, I watched her hair become the same shade of color as we walked down the sunset lit boardwalk: “So how were things on your end”? She dusted off the soot marks from her white tunic and dress, “Let’s just say my godfather had a harder time listening to what I had to say”. “I’m surprised he didn’t blast you on the spot”. “He did”. I saw her face pout, “don’t be like that”. Cleaning off the remaining black spots on her clothes; Kefira turned and looked at me with big smile on her face: “What was it like seeing our teacher again”? I smiled looking at the horizon, “he was happy to be alive; I was glad to see him like that, he finally figured out what he wanted to do with his life”. “Maybe there is hope for us too”. “Seeing a man like him turn a new leaf, makes me think the same thing… there is never an easy way to find meaning for your life, is there teacher”?   
“Both of you have learned well”. I looked at the sunset, “Tell me something: have you two found what you’ve been searching for”? “I really don’t know anymore”; I looked at Kefira and Viktor, “Training you two was the start of my healing, so I want to thank you for that”. They looked at me with a little hint of grief in their eyes; “A storm is coming”. Viktor said facing the horizon; “It is so wrong to enjoy the calm, before blood is shed”. “How can you be so carefree, Nolan”? I looked at Kefira and smiled wryly, “It takes a certain kind of fucked up to look at the world a constant smile on your face; if am I to die on that battlefield, if that is my fate so be it, but I am going to take this lying down: I am going to fight until my last breath”. “Are you not afraid of death”? Kefira asked me, staring at the skies above: “No, I accepted I will die; true death is not something I want to experience, yet a true kill is needed to see who is left standing at the end”. My students left the docks, I sat down on the nearest bench: I took a deep breath and watched the sunset finish; as the night lamps came on I started for home. I looked at the Christmas lights decorating the streets, people made merry as to celebrate for closing of this year and the New Year to come; I counted the days left… today is December 18th, in two weeks on New Year’s Day Sigma will begin their assault. I smiled at the date, “Quite the way to start a new year”.


	11. Episode Eleven: Shattered Perceptions

I’ve never been good at expressing myself; I don’t think I ever was to begin, the point is I’m a very closed off person: the only one I’ve ever opened up to was Thane. It was strange how I changed so much in such a short time, I was always the black sheep in the flocks of the world… I could never find a place to belong until now; I finally found a home, my own flock where I am one amongst others like myself. This feeling of completeness is something, I so desperately desired more any other thing in the world; I wanted to be accepted for who I was. To be honest I’m not even alive per say, I’m just a specter who has taken form in this plane of existence… whatever I am, I’m glad that any happiness I found was after I died.   
I looked at my wrist and saw the faint scars of past cuts; the wounds became clearer as I walked down the mist obscured road, the lanterns glowed brightly through the fog and I felt more alone than ever as my footsteps echoed off into the distance: my light breathing was the only I could hear aside from the occasional dead tree rustling by a light breeze. I followed the path to lifeless and hollow tree, the air grew heavy with the smell of rotten blood as walked closer to the landmark; standing at the base of the tree I pressed my hand on the ashen gray trunk. I faced my reflection in a blank void decorated with bones of countless warriors and beasts, veritable gods that have fallen to my will and become one with me. I found my corrupt soul in the center of the void, the scent of iron grew as I walked closer to the beast I kept asleep inside of me; for me this is a pointless exercise, when you think about I am a single body and mind holding the souls of countless fallen warriors. Yet, I still am one being… how odd… to attain peace for all the beings inside of me, I am Draco the fallen king of souls. I saw the little orbs of essence anchor around my soul, I placed my hand on the glowing dark red orb and felt a sting in my arms as I pressed my hand inside with the photos gripped in my fist, the stinging spread to my body as I burned away the photos of all the souls I have claimed as my own; I let go of the charred soul in front of me, I looked at my hand as it was burned raw: “There is no true self… your identity, it doesn’t matter if you are one soul or a thousand trapped in a vessel; there is no avoiding the fact that life is meaningless. To obtain peace… to find the truth you so desperately seek after, is a fools endeavor; you of all people should understand that… yet you would live through agony to find meaning in life… your decision is incomprehensible, Draco”. I faced the voice behind me, she was like me; a vessel containing thousands of memories from countless fallen warriors, yet there was no mind at the center… she had lost her humanity amongst the tide. “Shanoa, you’re to tell me… that there is no truth in life… well you are partially correct, you see before… I’ve lived quite the empty existence, but meeting these people have taught me to see there is more to life, it ends where it began… my reflection, my soulless… pray tell are you a vanguard of wrath or a taste of the madness to come”? I materialized a spiked metal wheel in my left hand, as it touched the ground, it spun on its own the ground hungry for blood. I manifested a long sword in my right and tightly gripped the hilt, “Tell me… is there a reason for living”? “You’ll just have to find it”. I pointed my sword forward and took a step back as she went in for a downward slash, I spun the wheel around my body closing off any opportunities for attack: her blade violently clashed against my shield cascading sparks everywhere; I stopped the wheel in place, it spun faster and faster, until becoming a blur of metal teeth: I sent it forward like a saw blade as Shanoa rushed back in for her counter attack. Just as she was going to leap over the wheel, it stopped right under her; “Command I: Bondage”. The wheel burst out eight iron stakes as it spun toward the other end of the room, I waved the spikes with my hand and impaled her hands first, with a flick of my hand she flew back to the other side of the void and was stuck to the wall, slowly the image of a peacock formed from her blood as I sent the next two stakes to drive her feet into the wall; the four remaining stakes pierced her stomach first, then her shoulders, then the center of her heart, and finally her skull; ripping her brain in half. I walked up to her and positioned my sword at the tip of the stake that was in her heart, “You disappoint me, not even a toddler would finger paint with your tainted blood”. I placed the sword to my side and snapped my fingers, the spikes that impaled her to the wall disappeared and she slumped to the ground; she reset her bones and limbs in place, standing back up, we looked at each other eye to eye. There was no feeling behind her gaze, only emptiness: “I search for the meaning as to why I am the way I am… I look to find truth because that is the only thing will make me happy”. Shanoa looked at me with a blank expression, she tilted her head, I saw her eyes twitch, she stood on the white floor with her feet spread shoulder width apart and pressed her hands together, she charged her energy; “You don’t make any sense, you’re a fool just like the rest of the world… I’ll kill you”, she laughed; her psychotic voice scratched my ears as it doubled over and echoed off the walls of my subconscious, “Oh… don’t worry it’ll be quick and painless”. I manifested Apophis as a serpent’s tail, I thrust the tail over my head; she matched my blow with nine fox tails, I kept up the pressure and slowly tore down her defenses, my tail swung cleaning in the air slicing through her thin soul projections: I pulled back my tail as I walked up to her, I grabbed her by the collar of her skin tight infiltration suit; I impaled her through the stomach, she clawed at my neck I held my hands around hers, I heard her suffocate on her own saliva as her gurgled for air. “You said it’ll be quick and painless, were you lying… I hate liars”. I let go her neck and swatted her to ground with a thump of my tail, she bounced back up and I split my tail wrapped it around her waist as six snake like bands of red energy; it crackled and hissed as I burned through Shanoa’s armor; I flung her to the other of the room, she hit the wall and made a crack from the impact, I slowly stepped forward as my tails stabbed her body one by one, over and over; I heard her cries of agony and felt a tingle down my spine, she cried for mercy until we stood face to face: her calm expression had now changed into a look of absolute terror, I fused my tails into one and watched the mass of tendrils transfer through my bloodstream to completely harden over my right arm as a gauntlet with spiked knuckles; I cocked back my shoulder and let go nailing Shanoa in the stomach, I her intestines rupture inside her abdomen along with her liver and pancreas. “That sounded like it hurt… here have another”. I kept her pinned to the wall by holding her neck, I repeatedly punched her face into a bloody pulp and tore her spine out her stomach before using the vertebrae to strangle out the remaining life she had left. In an instant the tide had turned against me, I shook my head and my ears rang louder, louder; until my nose started to bleed, my head spun along with the world around me; Shanoa reassembled herself in a storm of azure winged butterflies, she sent them after me as bolts of her soul; I felt deep cuts all over of my body, as her bullets cut through my defenses: I covered my body with the tail and watched the projectiles bounce off into nothingness, I watched her approach through a small crack in the bunker. Within arm’s reach, I shattered my tail and sent out a storm of charged glass needles toward Shanoa; she staggered back and I followed up with a punch to her stomach, I wrapped my hands around her neck and smashed my knee into her face; her hands blocked my knee, and following with a quick jab to my throat, Shanoa blocked my roundhouse kick toward the left side of her head. Ducking under my right hook, she launched herself forward and tackled me to the ground, wrapping her leg around my left arm; she snapped it by the elbow and pulled out the forearm from its socket. Positioning my body out of her hold, I kicked the back of her head and crushed her windpipe with downward swing from my leg. I rolled away from her and staggered up, I placed my arm in its socket and set the bones straight: I watched Shanoa stand up heaving for breath; she and I were going to hit our limits very soon, in fact what determines who will live or die, hinges on whoever makes the first mistake. Following with a fake punch, I kicked her right thigh twice; I did a baseball slide as I dropped to the ground, I wrapped my legs around hers, and teetered my waist over; I lifted her off her feet and just as Shanoa hit the ground, she disappeared out of sight as a wisp of blue essence. I heard her laugh like a child, I stood back up and blocked her elbow with my own; she dropped to the ground and went for a sweep kick, I stopped her leg by cracking her right kneecap with a stomp and swung down my fist cracking her skull open. I kicked forward and hit square in the chest, she slid on the ground leaving a streak of dark red blood; “You’re beautiful… it’s a shame I have to kill you”. “Isn’t that what you’d said to Astoria”? She hopped back on her feet: “Yes, I say that to all my opponents”. I drew my sword and she placed one hand on the blade sheathe before placing the other on the hilt, “No one has to die, not today… not when we meet two weeks from now… not ever”. She drew her sword: “I lack a soul, that is why I envy the living… I am alive, yet I do not a have an identity… I simply exist have emotion but cannot express anything but… you should understand how empty that feels… so tell me why, you seek after meaning; tell me why you would place yourself through agony”? I held the longsword with both hands, “I seek after meaning because I wouldn’t be happy otherwise, I force myself to walk through hell to find feeling again; to make sure I don’t become empty, even with all of the identities inside me… I am still myself”. I took my stance and parried her blow, I locked her sword in a cyclic motion with my sword and swung it counter clockwise throwing it out of her hand. I placed the sword to my side, “I’ve spilled enough blood already… I don’t want yours to stain my hands and soul any more than I am”. I saw the tears well in her eyes, I embraced her: “Tell me what those people mean to you”? “I don’t know”. I looked into her eyes and a saw glint of life flicker into existence; “Yes you do, Shanoa even people like us… we don’t just exist, we live to find meaning on our own and it’s because of that desire, we seek to live”. I faced her and smiled, “Go and find your meaning”. “I’ve found happiness with my family here, tell me something do they make you happy”? I brushed the tears from her eyes, “They gave me a home, accepted with me open arms… but feel I do not belong there, or anywhere else”. “They feel the same way, you should know that… people with kind of power are feared by the rest of the world, you and I had the good blessing to meet those who accept us, because we are like them. She wrapped her arms around me tighter and cried into my maroon sweater; “Tell her I’m sorry”. I looked at what Astoria had become in my mind’s eye; surprisingly I wasn’t bitter or angry… just empty: “That was unforgivable, it must take a desperate measure to shatter someone’s soul like that… was winning that important to you”? I looked at the remorse in her eyes: “I didn’t want to win, I simply found someone worth fighting against; then I crossed that line again, blurred it some more, then there I was flying above my latest kill… I looked at her soul and saw that something had changed inside, a slow and creeping evil awoke inside of her because of me. Then she took the first step down the path by eating a part of Nolan; that forbidden fruit, it sure does wonders… wouldn’t you agree”? I let out a deep sigh and let Shanoa go from my hold, “She’s changed but at the heart of it all, she’s still the same little girl with an insatiable sweet tooth… cannibal or no, I will her stand by her along with the rest of my friends”. “That sappy bullshit is going to make me puke”. “Then let me help with that”, before she could react I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and locked them in place; I smashed my knee into her stomach and watched her double over, she laid in a pool of her own vomit and blood; I curb stomped the left side of her head and kicked her in the stomach; I sent her sliding across the floor, she smashed into the wall. “Get out”. I shattered the reality of my soul we were in and appeared back in true reality, the park I had walked into this morning was now with brimming life; in the early evening sounds of laughter blending with the peaceful rustle of trees, brought a smile to my lips, I sat with Shanoa on a park bench, cockeyed she looked at the sky and a portion of my face; I looked at the sunset, “Isn’t it beautiful”? I turned back to Shanoa, I unclenched the nerves in her face by squeezing the pressure points clustered at the sides of her neck; I popped her jaw back into place and reset her bones into their sockets, “There good as new”, I saw her neck droop and she started to drool from her mouth, “good as new…sort of”. “Eh, she’ll walk it off in a couple hours”. I stood up and walked toward home, I heard a muffled voice behind me; Shanoa corrected the lower portion of her mouth and spoke freely as she walked next to me, “I can see why you want to protect this, it truly is worth saving”. “We both know, that we won’t stand down at a whim; we’ll just keep slugging at each other, until other man falls down”. “Tis the truth of all war”.   
“The more I think about, we’re just two sides of the same fucked up coin aren’t we Louis”. I placed my folder into the pyre, and flicked my lighter; “I guess we are”. I placed in six fresh cartridges for my pistol, “Lex… how did we end up like this… the people we were… how did we break away from that”. “I honestly don’t know, for me it was the day I met Ashton; when he and I fought it gave me wakeup call, I looked at him and something woke up inside him… it’s strange but I know he has that effect on people, to trigger something inside our hearts… to show us a new light, a new way of looking at things”. I lit the pictures ablaze and watched Louis do the same, “A strange to make peace, isn’t it”? “Yeah, if only the guilt burned away just as easily”. “Such strange friends, such a strange family we’ve become a part of”. I holstered my revolver, “You didn’t have to do this with me, Lex”. “I don’t mind, personally this is what I wanted; I’m not the kind of person to face my own thoughts without breaking apart inside”. “I understand what you mean”. “Hey Louis what did you do before joining with us”? “I’ve spilled a lot of blood for money, I killed more people than I could; slowly as the bodies piled up, I started to lose myself… I started to lose the meaning of life, I lost the capacity to see how precious it is; I simply existed not feeling anything”. Louis looked at my tattered chief’s uniform: he nodded and sat down placing his back against the marble pillar of the church, “Tell me something… what does the world need more of”? “Justice, goodness”; Louis raised his eyebrow, “Or so I thought, the world is corrupt; I thought I could purge it clean of its evil, but I was wrong… I simply ruined the balance that was, I sought out to fix my mistakes; for a while, it worked out fine, but there was a crisis of faith, a crisis of identity… the sad part was… I just didn’t care anymore, I was broken and was going to break the world around me; I wanted to watch everything burn to the ground… I couldn’t accept the condition of the world and the people around me; it made me sick to watch”— “So you decided to fix it, how interesting”. “Nothing wrong with taking matters into your own hands, so what are we going to do now”? “We break the world of course”. Louis smiled, “I never had a reason to stand for anything, if it wasn’t for a paycheck, I’m sure you’ve never stood for anything else besides your personal crusade”, I took off my glove and put my hand forward palm side up; Lex held his hand above mine and we shook hands, and shoulder bumped into each other. “So partner, how about it: one last job together”? “We’ve worked together just fine before without tearing off each other’s heads”. I stood up and walked toward the front doors of the church, “We’ve made peace with ourselves, hey can you tell me something”? “No, I never hated you, Lex… in our line of work, I expected that to happen down the line”. “No hard feelings”. “After this”. Louis walked up to me and kicked me the crotch, I doubled over; “Damn it”, I struggled to catch my breath as I doubled on the ground, the shock from the impact made my brain bounce up and collide against my skull. “Now we’re even”. I stood back up and wiped the tears out of my eyes, “That was brutal”. “If was anyone else, I wouldn’t have let them off so easy”. Louis caught me by my shirt collar as I was timber over and smack my face on the marble floor again, “On your feet”. I limped out the doors of the church and lumbered down the steps, I stood in front of the fountain before sitting down on the circular ledge; the calming sounds of water flowed behind me and I took a deep breath. Hearing footsteps, I looked toward the main staircase and saw Reico walk into view; he sat down on the fountain ledge and looked me square in the eyes, “Beautiful weather today”; he saw Louis walk down the church steps, “You two worship”? “Not quite, just wanted to find some peace and quiet before all hell breaks loose”. “Why don’t you just attack already, none of us prepared for an onslaught”? Reico chuckled; “Don’t you want the last” – He clutched his head, “Shanoa! Shanoa do you copy, come in what happened”? Reico shouted into his headset, singling for his teammate, “I swear she never listens”. “I’m afraid, we’ll have to continue sometime”— I punched his face and dunked his head into the fountain; Reico flailed his arms, his breath bubbled up to the surface of the water, I pulled his head up and smashed into the ledge; putting him on his feet, I turned on my heels and kneed him in the gut; I grabbed Reico by the back of the head and followed up with a head butt, I saw a sharp golden claw in my peripheral vision; I stepped back holding Reico by the collar of his sweater and the black leather belt keeping his jeans suspended; I hammer threw his body into Damien knocking them down the stairs, Louis sprinted next to me and we looked at each other, nodding our heads I slid down the rails of the stairs and dropkicked them further down onto to the streets; Louis slid down the second set of rails before flinging himself into a roll, to get me out of the way of a blue fireball, I saw Louis chase after Damien as I scrambled up to my feet and caught Reico’s fist; I bent back his arm and kicked out his right knee with a sweeping motion from left leg, I raised my right leg above my head smashed my heel into his skull, I followed up with roundhouse breaking his collar bone; he skid leftward down the sidewalk turning his face into a bloody smear. He got back up and reset his jaw, I threw myself in a superman jab; he caught my right arm and threw me to the ground, placing his foot on my shoulder he snapped my arm with a quick counter clockwise twist; I spun on my back, with the sudden motion, his grip loosened; popping my arm back into place, I wrapped my legs around his waist and threw him over me, I smashed the top of his skull back into the pavement. I placed my hands on the ground and got my body into a sprinting position, I sprang up and leapt off my feet, Reico staggered up to his feet; I grabbed the back his head as he was about to stand up straight, I smashed my knee into his face; his teeth flew out his mouth, I heard the bones crack as he flew back to the ground; he bounced for a second, and skipped down the sidewalk for a couple inches, I landed; extending my arms out and grabbed him by the legs, I spun on my feet and smashed his upper body into the pavement, before tossing him up for a power bomb; I wrapped my arms around his waist and smashed his head into the ground, letting go I finished with a heavy kick to his chest, splintering his fractured rib cage into his organs; he spit out blood as he went flying back the opposite way down the sidewalk and crashed into Damien; they spun around in the air and flew back toward us, I was tackled to the ground and had a pair of metal claws pierce into my chest, I coughed at his face and punched him between where his ribs were supposed to be, a pain expression contorted on the pliable gold body; he breathed out a jet of blue fire: I quickly pressed the cestus’ against his face, the intensity of the fire reacted violently with the blessed metal, it caused a loud bang and cloud of smoke; he leapt off me cupping his ruined face plate, I staggered up and braced myself; I turned back Damien’s attacks, I blocked his rapid claw strikes as he darted through the shadow, jumping in front of me; I saw his flames burn a bright crimson, I held my arms against by body and countered his jabs, steam rose from his body as he continued the barrage of attacks; faster and faster, I turned back each punch with a quick jerk of my arms. He finished with single palm thrust, breaking my guard I found myself sliding backward down the sidewalk, I planted my feet and skidded to a halt, Damien charged toward in a shoulder rush; I rolled out of the way onto the street, before I could move I was turned by a quick scratch to my left arm and had my head smashed in to the side of abandoned muscle car door, I pushed myself out of the mold and smashed the back of my head into his face; I with a quick elbow to his stomach, I threw Damien over my shoulder and smashed him into the roof the car, I finished with a stomp and shattered his face plate completely driving the back of his head into the asphalt. I grabbed him by the collar of his armor and flung him down the road, he smashed into the large oak tree that grew out of the street; I watched the tree timber over him and flatten him into the asphalt. I took a deep breath; I caught Louis and planted him on his feet, I looked at Reico as he stormed toward us with his scythe drawn. I readied my sword and shield, “Take five… your old dancing partner is going to look for a punching bag when he comes to”. “Are you insane, aren’t you better off beating him down with your fists”? “Where’s the fun in that”? “Besides I’ve had practice since the last time you’ve seen me using these”. Louis tapped on my shoulder, I looked at the tree and saw that it had been incinerated into ash; Damien roared like a wild beast, before charging Louis, “On my mark”. I held the shield in front of me and held the sword firmly in my other hand; with tight grip I pointed the blade forward, stood at my back with his sword gripped tightly, the ground rumbled as Damien rushed toward us; I saw Reico sprint toward us with his scythe hanging by his waist as he streamlined his body, “Three… two”— “Mark”. We stepped out of the way and let them collide into each other, pulling Reico and Damien away from each other we engaged them while they were still staggered from smash their skulls into one another. I thrust my sword and sliced downward, Reico caught my swing with reverse swing from his scythe blade, we clashed blades for a few moments; I followed my string of alternating horizontal slashes with a heavy thrust, Reico pressed my sword into the ground with the tip of his scythe; I pulled my sword back and took a step back, Reico spun his scythe around his head and held it with one hand, I slashed forward; Reico simply sidestepped my swing gripping the wooden pole with both hands, again and again he dodged my attacks; he caught my sword as it reached near the ground with a back swing from his scythe; letting go he spun on his feet and turned his body, he straightened his arms bending them at the elbows .“So predictable… so naïve… someone like you using these elegant weapons, I appreciate the gesture to learn a new skill, but before testing out the basics on an live opponent please hone them some more would you”. I had my sword disarmed from me; Reico pulled my sword out my hand, it impaled itself into the ground next to him and in the blink of an eye I had Reico’s scythe positioned diagonally above my shoulder; I relaxed my shield arm and found that Louis stood next to me with the barrel of shotgun pointed at the back of his head, “Bang”. Damien said as he lifted the barrel away from the back of Louis’ head, they put away their weapons and let out a contented sigh; “Thank you for the workout gentlemen, but I’m afraid you’re not quite ready for us”. “What enemy waits for their opponent to be ready to stand against them”? Reico placed a hand on my shoulder closing his eyes, with a slight chuckle: “The kind who is strong enough to show mercy”. I saw his demeanor change completely as he opened his eyes, he gazed through me cold and unfeeling… his piercing green eyes stared into my soul. He looked at Louis and tossed me back my sword, “You have a week and a half left before we come for you; prepare yourselves to fight, fight us as if you’re trying to kill us… as for your swordsmanship, practice and keep practicing until you can hold your own against any opponent”.   
Fifteen minutes earlier  
I breathed heavily, Damien pressed forward with a series of magic bolts; I deflected them away from me with my sword; with the last parry I thrust my sword forward piercing into Damien’s chest, he fell on his knees before the apparition turned into ash; I felt sharp piercing pain in my side, Damien pulled back his fist and kicked my chest, I flew down the street and smashed into a lamppost hands first, I swung around and kicked Damien in the back of the head; I let go and broke the momentum with a combat roll, I rolled out of the way onto the left side of street; I saw Lex fight off Reico in the distance, I stood toe to toe against Damien as we clashed our hands against each other, I pressed forward and threw him down into the worn asphalt making a small crater. I crushed his chest plate with a hard stomp, I spread out his legs and stomped him in the crotch and kicked him up the asshole; he flew down the street writhing in pain. I watched him stand back up, he charged toward me; within arm’s reach I held him down by the head before smashing his jaw into the ground; I hit his face plate on the street, three times; I let go and swung leg down on the back of his head, sending him deeper into the crater from a couple minutes ago. I flung him down the street with a hammer throw and watched him crash into Reico, using their opposing momentum they flew back toward us as angry living projectiles. “Seems legit”. Reico went into a pinwheel with his scythe drawn, he sliced down the road; I stepped out of the way just in the nick of time, I spun on my feet and punched Reico the face and stopped him in his tracks; I grabbed his face and smashed the back of his head into the street, I felt the warm blood as he spit it out his mouth; I lifted him up and smashed the left side of his head back in the ground; I pressed my hand downward crushed the entirety of his skull. Reico swept me off my feet with my hooking his feet behind my legs, I was flung over and landed on my back, “Shit”; I rolled to my feet my feet; I drew my sword and clashed blades with Reico’s scythe. We traded slashes, neither of us gained any footing over the other; the rhythm of our attacks flowed beautifully with each other, I broke his focus with a kick toward the lower hamstring; knocking him off balance I drove my sword down and he rolled his body in the air to dodge my stab, I got on one knee swung at him, he motioned himself to stop and landed on his feet as the rest of his body was bent back straight; he landed on his hands and thrust his feet forward to kick my chest and throat, I flew back the down street. I felt a hand catch me and heard a peaceful exhale, Lex caught me and I was planted back on my feet. We looked at each other as our opponents came chasing after us, teeming over with rage and bloodlust.   
They recovered from their motion stupor, and I was stunned by quick chop to the back of my neck by a golden hand, I felt a sharp knee cover stab into my gut before; I had my back broken by a hammer fist; Damien kicked my gut as I keeled over and me crashing into a rusted park bench. I hit with a loud clang, I staggered up and was turned on my feet… with a quick punch I felt a sharp pain in my back. I fell on my both knees with two quick kicks, I found myself next to Lex kneeling with my hands held next to my head; I heard the pump of a shotgun: “Move and I’ll blow your brains out on the pavement”. Damien barked out, I looked at Reico; he motioned a no to Damien with a shake of his head, “Ha. You lucked out today”. Damien helped me to my feet and I let my arms relax; as he pulled the gun away from the back of my head, “Bang”.   
“Thanks again for the workout”, Reico and Damien left us standing on the empty street speechless; “What the hell just happened”. I looked at Lex cocking my head, “I can’t even right now”. Lex said rubbing his temples: “That makes the two of us”.   
“Thane, can you tell me something”? I looked at Galahad nodding my head before turning back to the desolate horizon in front of us, “What is this place”? “An abyss, a prison, despite how it looks this place is my sanctuary, my home”. “Funny you should say that, the way I see this place; it was my form of repentance, I was reborn here as a different man… if you can believe it, I used to worse as a person than I am now”. “As for you, Thane… did put your personal demons to rest”? “A long time ago, before I got involved in all of this; I was a very different person yet not a single day goes where I regret my choices before”. Dense iron particles gathered to make sand, a dust devil past by us as we walked toward the priory in the center of the wasteland, the ground beneath us was rugged and lifeless; not even the desert brush remained here, above us the clouds stormed, thunder clapped across the sky with the lightning tracing through the air; “I’d never thought we end up back here, did you”? “History repeats itself, Galahad; especially the bad blood between two enemies”. Walking onto the ruins of the priory we faced each other and bowed, we sat on the ground and placed our folders in the pyre; “A bond of blood”, “A bond of steel”. “We are flesh and iron”. We lit our matches and placed them on top of the folders, a warm glow of orange burned brightly; I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes; Galahad did the same. A few moments of quiet past and sounds of cawing birds echoed around us, the dead tree rustled with a light breeze; the ground was frosted over and cracked as I stood up, Galahad faced me and took a grapplers stance as he got on his feet; “Nothing fancy, just a test of our strength and wits”. “It’s not a fight, it’s going to be a beat down”. I raised my fists in front of me, Galahad rushed toward me on all fours and planted his hands into the ground to follow into a dropkick; I ducked under his kick and grabbed him by the greying fur on his back, I threw him across the ground and sent him crashing into a nearby decaying stump.   
“We have one of two options, we either die or disappear into the nothingness”. I held out my palms and diverted Galahad’s fist, I pulled his arm and stomped on his elbow joint, snap; I sidestepped him as timbered over and pierced my hand through his side, gripping three of his ribs I yanked them out his side and impaled him through the throat. “When concerning ourselves in the midst of chaos I’d much rather disappear than become him”. Galahad leaned over me and grabbed me by the head, I was tossed into the air and flung through the air with a clothesline punch; I smashed into a dead oak tree, I sat up from the mold left from my impact, I shook my head and was shoulder tackled back to the ground as Galahad threw me through the already weakened tree, I rolled out the way and kicked his left hamstring, I scrambled up and punched him between in his right side. I backstepped and blocked his kick with both palms extended out, I held his leg between my left arm and side, I swung down my fist and shattered his kneecap, I let go of his leg and waited for his straight punch, I ducked under his arm; placing my hand at his shoulder I threw him over me with a backwards roll. He landed on his back and laid on the iced over ground, “Just like old times, huh”? I helped Galahad to his feet, “I never thought be we’d be fighting on the same side in a million years”. “Neither did I, yet here we are burying the hatchet”. I took a deep breath and unzipped my jacket: I let the cool air hit my chest, my soaked sweater made the front of my tingle, I shivered at from the bone chilling wind as the shock spread through my body; “How can you fight in this weather with a just vest and those silk pants; I mean the fur does it even help, you’re a damned ape not a polar bear”. Galahad took off his red vest, the wave etchings rippled as it settled in the snow; tightening the rope for his dust colored pants, the baggy legs clung to the shape of his legs; Galahad retied the laces on his gray track shoes. I raised my fists and took a breath of crisp air, my lungs burned from the chill; “When you suggested advanced training, I’d never thought we’d come here of all places”. I said raising my hands to block, I caught Galahad’s roundhouse kick by his foot; “Honestly I’d come here for some peace and quiet before all hell broke loose”, I stepped back letting my arm drop to the side, Galahad planted his feet into the ground and met my fist with his palm, the ice on the ground cracked apart and crumbled away from the resounding impact of the tradeoff, what remaining strength I had left my body and my limbs went limp; I fell on the ground with deep cuts all over my body, I pressed my bloodied palms into the snow and got back up, I shook off Galahad’s previous attack; I drew my sword and saw Galahad’s blades manifest in the air around him; ten large cleavers with a glossy black metal for the curved blades, the pink diamond handles were shining with my blood, at the base of each sword there was a glowing deep red gem; my blood was absorbed through the tangs of the blades making the edge shine bright red. “Declaration of War”. I braced myself and parried off the four incoming slashes with my longsword; Galahad planted eight swords into the ground and held the remaining two firmly in his hands, he spun around as he walked toward me; I backstepped away from the hurricane of metal, as he slowed down I thrust forward and skewered him through the chest; “Providence”. I pulled out the sword and placed it on my back; “I believe I’ve won our little game”. Galahad put away his swords and stood up, he picked up his vest from the ground and wore it over his fur; “I’m sick of fighting”. I looked at Galahad and knew what he’d meant; all our lives people like us were responsible for fighting the battles of others, that hunters were responsible for keeping the things that go bump in the night away from the rest of the world, regardless if we are good or evil as people. “Why do we end up fighting the battles of others, even though we never get involved in the first place Galahad”?   
“Personally I don’t know anymore”. “I’ve had the reality of my world shatter and reform throughout the time lived on this world, over and over; my truth was flushed out by some greater expansion of whatever I’d have learned up to that point, and now it’s starting over”. “You mind if I ask you something”? I nodded my head toward Thane, “Do you regret killing your son again”? “If I told you no, would you think that I am a monster”? “No, I accept you regardless”. “Then, I don’t regret it all; in fact I’m happy I did it, that boy as much as he meant to me deserved to be laid to rest a long time ago; only that day I realized that”. The area around us transformed back into the barren wasteland, and we found ourselves staring face to face; “I’ve lived quite an empty life, it’s time for me to find meaning”. “A life of combat is not an empty existence, you are a strong warrior; I appreciate your conviction and desire for justice, Galahad”. I felt a smile on my lips, I stood up and helped Thane to his feet; “I never belonged anywhere, but now with you people, I can finally find a place to be accepted as who I am; that is what my son found here: friends, and a reason to live: I hope to find the same”. “In the coming battle, the side of ourselves that we hide from the world we awoken and the world will see us for who we are”. “Tell me, are you afraid of your inner demon”? I looked at Thane, and he let out a woebegone sigh; “I am, as are the rest of us; that is what it means to have a soul”. “That beast inside of us, will be the catalyst for our victory or defeat; Sigma will raze the world to the ground, starting with us; a systemic elimination of all life”. “If we beat them, aren’t you scared what’s down the road, a worse threat always takes the place as an exigent dilemma when the previous is taken care of”. “Let them come for us, and we show them our wrath”. “How can you be sure that we’ll win”? “What’s stopping us from trying, if we die; we can just walk it off”. I looked at the horizon, black clouds brewed; the sound of thunder clapped across the sky, I looked at the destroyed remains of the city that stood here; “I’m going through with this, because I know that we are the only ones with means to cause the best outcome, a reality that isn’t the barren wasteland we just been to”.   
I nodded my head and looked at the clouds as well; “In one week they’ll come in full force, can we honestly survive against them”? “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there”, Galahad pulled out his anti-tank rifle; “I’m going to protect this team with my life, as long as I breathe; I watch over you as guardian”. He placed in a fresh tracer round sliding the bolt and looked at the darkening horizon, making the firing motion: “Bang, just like that”. “Thane, if you worry about the way life will progress, you will never grow as a person; take it from me: approach life one step at a time, one battle at a time”. “How can you be so sure of the outcome”? “Because we’ll make it happen, hell or high water”. I smiled at his statement, “You ever spend Christmas with a family”? Galahad gave me a puzzled look, “Never really did anything actually… to be honest you are the first friend I’d made in a long time”. “I’ll promise you, if we make it alive for a round a drinks with the team after the battle to come; but I want you to promise me something”. “Yeah what is it”? “No offense but get a life, you want to find meaning for living; this is the way to do it, a hobby, a profession, anything besides for our main job; to me, this the way I cope with work stress”. Galahad held out his hand and we shook on it: “I have a hobby, it’s just really technical when you think about”? “I am going to regret asking what it is”. “I’m an armorer, the weapons that my son used, the ones I use were made by my hands and his; I’ll be more than happy to tune your gear for you, so send in the orders… by the way do we have a workshop at the house”? I pulled out my cellphone pressing in the PIN; the screen read 12-23-14; I opened contact list and pressed the home number.   
“Ring… ring”. I jumped from the sudden break in quiet almost dropping my cup full of hot chocolate, I went to the landline handset; I saw the number and the name attached to it: 973-3261-4850, I answered the call, my voiced cracked; hic*, good news I’m as tall as Elaine now, damn puberty. “Astoria speaking”. “At the other end of the line, I heard static; through the garbled mess I heard a voice, I adjusted the signal from the handset station; “Hello is anyone there”? The call dropped as I heard the words: “we’re coming home”. It was Thane’s voice, I looked out with hope and expectation in my eyes; I walked out to the balcony and peered at the distance. Even though there was no one in sight, I was hopeful that my family would come home again; “Hey sis… where’s Ashton and Elaine”? I turned and saw Cedric; my first golem, I gave him a hug, “they went to buy takeout”. Nikolai’s youth stared me right in the face, I felt a twinge of guilt knowing what I had done, a six-year old boy stood in front of me; he stood at my waist level, I pat him on the head, tussling his greasy chestnut hair; I bent on one knee and looked into his deep amber eyes, I pinched his nose and straightened out his starship pajama onesie sleeves, I rewrapped the faded blue comet blanket around his neck; completing the cape Cedric let out a giggle and struggled as he wrapped his arms around my chest for a hug, “Err… you’re still too big for me”. “You’ll grow to be and strong, I promise”. His stomach grumbled, and I passed him the mug of hot chocolate; he wiped the line of milky chocolate with the back of his hand and I sat down on the main couch with him, I got out a story book and started reading with him, after I turned on the headlamps attached to the ceiling. “Would the others mind me being here, sis”? “Don’t worry about it, I’ll break their testicles if they do”. He cupped his crotch, “Don’t worry I won’t touch a hair on your head”. “In hindsight, human anatomy and physiology, and chemistry shouldn’t have been the first things to teach you or any child”. I kissed him on the forehead; “Cedric, I hope you never stop learning about the world around you; I might still be a child as well but truly know more than a great majority of the people in the world, I am a prodigy, you are a prodigy; our minds are pre-tuned to learn all the knowledge of the world, but only if we choose to”. “We have this innate knowing of the world, I want to seek that end and see what I become through any means it may take”. “This insight of our, why do you insist on hiding it from the world”. “Because they aren’t ready for the truth we know”. “Then isn’t it our duty to guide them to enlightenment”? “No, humanity must learn on its own the secrets of the reality around them”, I looked at Cedric; “Why do you want to impart the knowledge that we know to the world”? “I want to shape the world into a better place, than what it is”. Cedric ran to the door when he heard it open; I paused and a heavy air permeated through the room as Nolan looked at Cedric then at me with a look of aghast on his face, “the research before” he stammered out, “Bio-augmented golems were a glimpse into a far-fetched future, a time where man and machine were indistinguishable from one another… how did you do this, why did you do this”? I felt a sinking feeling my gut, “If you could give someone you love a chance at life again, how far would you go to make that happen”? “The world is held back ethics”, “Oh no, ethics are the very thing keeping us from crossing that blurred line which separates us from the beasts that we slay to keep the world we know safe”. “Astoria, I know you how much he meant to you, but this… this isn’t answer to your desire, it’s only the beginning of a life of sorrow and loss… for you and that boy”. “Enough”; Cedric faced Nolan with brave; something flashed across Cedric’s face as he looked into Nolan’s eyes, a look of complete terror; “The method of salvation you created, will lead to our ultimate damnation; that boy is the cause of so many horrible things down the line, despite what he will mean to us… you of all people should have known what he will become capable of”. “Nolan, do you hate me for this”? “No, I don’t; I saw this coming, you saw this coming, hell we’d do the same choices again and again we could choose again”. “Then what’s the point of living if there is no freedom of choice, if we are doomed to repeat our mistakes over and over”. “Because we have the capacity for change, no matter how small or large the task at hand may be; we can adapt and rise to the occasion”. Cedric looked at me with his expression now calmed down, “Is that true, no I know it’s true; but will I really become an instrument of destruction”? Nolan looked at him with pity and affection in his eyes, “For all of our sakes I hope you never do; but the odds are stacked against you, even though there are limitless possibilities all of them end with you causing oblivion”. “Cedric, it doesn’t matter what destiny is already written out for us; we can always change the story of our lives, with the potential inside of us”; “Nolan, what would trigger the change inside of Cedric”? “The death of any one of us”. Nolan stared into space, “How odd”; he looked at Cedric, “The coding of your original model still exists inside of you”, “That’s what you’re going to bank on, a hope that Nikolai’s coding is able to function and keep Cedric from crossing the line”? Nolan cracked a smile, “Excuse my French but we’re quite fucked aren’t we when we look at things down the line”? “Then screw the future, we’ll shape and carve out the one we want for ourselves”. Nolan gave me a hug and wiped away the tears that were welling up in my eyes; “You never fail to make me happy”. “Let’s work toward that dream, after all it is up to us to keep the world safe”. Nolan looked at Cedric’s blanket cape, “You’re ideals of good and evil are rather basic”. “Heroes aren’t always good, and villains aren’t always bad”. “Morality itself cannot always be so easily defined; Cedric, in this day and age it means more to be a hero than just your costume and cape, you got to have the balls to stand up for what you believe is right, and to stand up for the people that defend themselves; this isn’t a job you can half ass and expect the outcome you want, you need to put in your heart and soul into everything you want to fight to keep alive”. Cedric wiped away his tears and sniffled; “As you grow up and are living with us; we’ll do our best to shape you into the best possible man”. He stared with awe at Nolan; “You’re awesome”. I chuckled at the sight, “There’s always hope out there, we just got to find it”. “Isn’t life a bitch”? Nolan tussled Cedric’s hair, before wiping the bloody tears from his eyes; “So this is what Nikolai would be like if he was a kid”. “How nice, to see that optimism and courage haven’t been erased out of him”.   
I looked at Galahad and walked down the desert roads with him at my side; “Do want the chance to raise your son again, to see him grow into a kind man”? “I’d give anything to make that happen”. “Then do it right this time, he always be your own flesh and blood; regardless of the body he has”. “Thank you, for hearing this old fool out”. “Oh and one more thing, love the kid would you; he want you to accept him more than anything else”. Galahad let out a forced laugh; “Then you’ll have to teach me to love someone”. “Not a chance in hell buddy, you got to learn that on your own”. We stopped and looked back at the horizon, “We’ll get ‘em; I can promise that much”. “Honestly it’s what comes after that scares me the most”. I nodded at Galahad’s statement, “Prepare for the worst”— “Hope for the best”. Galahad finished the line, right now I felt as if I understood the crazy bastard a little better; he gave me the same look of solidarity. “My comrades are my family, my home is on the battlefield; in a short time we’ll see the fight of our lives”. “Bound by blood and steel we shall ensure our victory against these foes that stand before us”. ¬– “This is my vow as a warrior”. “I the saint, shall watch over my flock and keep them safe from the coming storm, not to ensure their wellbeing through hell itself, but merely to push them out of the fires to come”. I felt something inside me, a faint beat; a trace of humanity returned to me now, a small of piece of my being came back from all those years of spilling blood, finally I can start to become whole again.   
“A war is coming, and yet we’re not lifting a finger to prepare… is it nature to hold off on the exigent, or did we just give up before the fight even began”? I looked at Ashton, “Elaine… don’t get me wrong but we’re all preparing in own way, if we could form a drill, a plan even and get it memorized to the core principles, but it would still get derailed; honestly the best strategy right now: just try and relax”. “How can I relax when there is death hanging over lives”? I took a sip of my black coffee, and took in a breath; I exhaled and looked out the balcony, there was clear horizon for the most part, a few specs of black dotted the blue skies; Nolan leaned back in the reclining beach chair and waved to me, before lying back down. “How can you be so relaxed about this”? “Not a single mission goes by without me being anxious for the best result, Elaine to be honest, I’m scared half to death whenever I think about what could happen out there… between the teams if you will, there is an unspoken law of conflict: when taking the life of another, there is no terms of surrender; when reaches that breaking point, it’s kill or be killed… that much I can guarantee”. “I don’t what I would do if any of you died out there”. “All of us matter that much to you, even Lex or Galahad”? “Yes, all of you matter that much to me… you’re the only family I have now; please don’t make any promises to die out there”. Elaine paced back and forth in the living room: “Why do people feel fear”? “That’s something you’ll have to figure out on your own”. Astoria said as she walked into the living area by herself, “Hey where’s Cedric”? “You do know he’s also an AI, Ashton”. Cedric appeared on the couch: “You called”? His voice was deeper, in fact his avatar changed into a middle aged man dressed as a butler; “Personally I prefer him like this, a sentient AI; who can take care of the day to day stuff in our house”. “You didn’t want him to be your “brother” “? “It’s less awkward this way, don’t you think”? “Yeah, I guess it is”. In a few seconds Cedric timed out and went back to stand by, Ashton stood up and stared out of the living room windows; “The house certainly feels empty now”. “They’ll be back, don’t worry”. Elaine stood next to me, Nolan walked inside from the balcony and shut the doors; he sat down at the table and rested his head on the polished wood surface, “Is it always this depressing before a mission, Ashton”? “Well considering this is our first real operation together, yeah I guess so”. Astoria went through the motions of reloading her pistols, while leaning back on the main sofa; she placed the training weapons on the coffee table and let out a deep sigh; “Whenever I hear about a war, it’s all hype, all the testosterone and ballsy-ness of the people going to the fronts to kick some ass, but how we feel right now, mirrors the emotions of the same people who put up that front, it doesn’t matter which side you’re on, no one ever wants to die for any reason”. “And even though that’s the case for some reason, they still go out to put their lives on the line: for fortune, for glory, for religion, for vegence or any other motive people will kill for regardless of the harm they might step in front of”. I broke the silence, we sat there “Tell me Ashton, what do you fight for”? I looked at Nolan, “Honestly I don’t know anymore, for the first time in a long time; my reason for fighting is for myself or to ensure my own wellbeing, now actually I have something to care for and protect”. “I understand why you would say that— But tell me something, of the people you could’ve met and recruited: why us”? I stared at Nolan, “Ever lose someone so close to you, it feels like you’ve lost a part of yourself when they died”? “It’s silly but to be honest you guys remind me of people I’ve befriended before, all of you look like someone I’ve met a long time ago”. “You don’t say”. Nolan got a glass of water and took a sip, “To me, I fight because this the only way I can regain a sense of my humanity”. “My disease is the very thing that keeps from feeling anything, but now; I don’t feel empty anymore, it finally feels like I’m becoming whole again”. I looked at Nolan raising an eyebrow, “To put it this way before I used to be a monster without a name, now I actually feel like a person instead of a weapon”. I looked at Elaine and Astoria, “Don’t ask us why we fight at all, especially me of all people; I signed up for the adventure but I got so much more in return, for that I’m happy... if I had to make the same choice again, I would in a heartbeat”. “I’ve found a home here with you people, before coming here I’d learned to fight… now I have something to fight for”. Astoria chuckled, “A little clichéd but I agree with you all, our motley flock of black sheep… I can’t believe but we’re going to make our mark on the world”.   
I walked on the boardwalk, I followed the path to the clinic and saw the maintenance drones fix up the front door, I found Draco and Thane standing at the front doors; from the distance they rehung the magnetic pin to the safety handles, a loud click echoed around the pier—  
The flimsy machination, I deluded myself into feeling and seeing; slowly fell apart, no, this is all wrong… there are too many slips of logic, too many jumps, nothing is ever this choppy… if I can tell you anything right now, and the truth is… we’ve never left the sites of our rituals. Wherever we started our purges are where we still are, foreboding is the last thing a human being wants in their lives, to know that everything will all come to a sudden crash, it what scares me and many others to death. A sense of dread overcame my now awakening body, it wouldn’t be so off for me to describe that the others are feeling the same thing right now, but something was still off about this presence, even though it was an agent of discord… the people behind this madness weren’t inherently evil at all. I don’t know what to believe or trust in anymore, it would be foolish to assume a person’s intentions before having a chance to get to know them. But at this moment I’m not left with much of a choice, friend or foe… please be the former.


	12. Episode Twelve: As above, so below. As Within, so without.

I sat still keeping my breathing at a low and controlled pace, the fire had burnt out and my senses started coming back; I took a breath of fresh air and snapped myself awake, to be honest the dream I’ve just seen was not the worst of my memories, the breaks of logic should gave it away sooner, thankfully I woke up when I did; the more memories you have of the person or people, the stronger and more realistic the delusion becomes; reliving suppressed memories that flow seamlessly in your mind’s eye, just keeping you in stasis. My train of thought was broken as I heard soft footsteps up the worn stone staircase leading up to the main grounds of the shrine, as he came into view I was face to face with a man in his early twenties; I could see the golden brown of his messy hair; almost by habit brushed aside the bangs and slid his hand back setting down the hair, he wore heavily padded beige vest over a cream shaded sweater; from the waist down he wore a pair of husky sand colored fatigues; I saw titanium coverings protecting his arms and legs; his elbows and knees were protected by laced down Kevlar convex pads, from what I could tell the only weapons he had on him was to play keep away with his opponents; this guy has the most armor I’ve seen on a hunter in a while, probably not too sure of himself in a fistfight, I saw his fingers twitch as he mimicked pulling a trigger… the stance he took as he approached me was a quick draw pose, as the sun set behind him I saw the murky desert finish of his carbine pistol grip break camouflage for just a moment in the orange light; I held my hands on my Uzi’s unclipping the side holsters, I shifted my body slightly forward and kept an eye on his movements, he approached toward me at a steady pace as not to alert me into making the first move, the way he walked up to me was calm yet purposed, I could tell by the focused look behind his stormy grey eyes he meant business; but something threw me off, like he knew I was going to resist; as he got closer to me I could see him grip his weapon tighter, I felt a light breeze of wind and saw the nearby bamboo trees rustle scaring away the sparrows nesting inside the grouping, as he was around halfway the stone path time seemed to stop to a crawl; I noticed the trees around the shrine go still, the branches no longer shook, I heard no breeze, the birds were left suspended in the air, no this wasn’t like the way Nolan stopped time, in fact was he did was partially suspend himself out of reality by balancing light and dark in a defined space, time within ten miles each direction was completely stopped including the motion of all things living or not, with the two of us being the exception; I saw a small poof of dust as he walked forward, the man kept walking forward at a maintained pace and the particles behind him slowly drifted back to the ground, with one hundred fifty feet of space between us he aimed through the holographic sight of his M4, I saw the muzzle flash of his suppressor as the bullet flew out at blinding speeds. I rolled out the way to the left and saw the kinetic energy trail of the 5.56mm x 45 round just graze past my back, a thin trace of blood followed after the round; I saw the projectile rip into the steel bar closing main doors of the priory, I took cover behind a statue of a Chinese lion; it was ripped to dust with a burst shot of three rounds, I rolled behind the nearest wooden pillar to my left, a fresh round ripped completely through four feet of reinforced ironwood barely missing my right ear; I peeked out to the left and took a shot with both Uzi’s stretched out breaking into a ducking sprint, I saw a few of the rounds sail past his exposed head while the rest hit him square in the chest, I saw my rounds stop in their tracks as the padding absorbed the impact complete; the shells dropped to the ground with a clang, as I kept up the suppressing fire I saw my opponent run behind a worn down brick wall; I kept up the pressure, tearing through the wall; I saw him sprint out of cover and into the open as I rolled under a line three returning cartridges after vaulting over the wooden guard rails; I heard the parapets splinter apart behind me, the rounds bit into the pillar I ducked out of snapping it half, recovering from my shots he slid toward me as my feet hit the main path and he took a snapshot through his scope, and took a shot; before I could stop myself I ran head first into a string of six rounds, I felt two bullets rip through the top end of my spinal cord and four through my forehead, knocked off my feet I landed on my back; the shrapnel was pushed out of my body as the wounds sealed up, I barrel rolled out to the right and dodged rounds pointed at my chest, as three rounds ripped through the ground; the barrel of his rifle followed me as I scrambled up to my feet: click, I aimed first and pulled my triggers; the remaining eight rounds in each gun came flying out and all of my bullets were stopped with a series of bursts from his assault rifle, he tossed out the empty magazine and holstered the rifle on his back. I emptied out the magazines for my Uzi’s and holstered my guns, I held the handles of my swords; he took out a staff made of mercury with a stainless hourglass attached at both ends. I heard the ominous sound of metal flowing through air clearly through a light drizzle of rain, as he spun the staff both hourglasses were molded into fifteen inch spearheads; the bladed ends were half an inch thick and a quarter wide, holding it horizontally at waist level with both hands he stepped forward swinging it like a canoe oar, he pulled back and spun around, I dodged under the blades by dropping to my knees; I saw his feet rotate as he made waxing motions with the blades in an attempt to set down a boundary; I stepped back, and blocked the onslaught of thrusts, as I quickly drew out my swords, I deflected each coming blow with a slight tilt of my arms; his spear glanced off my blades, I stepped back parrying each blow, sparks flew everywhere mixing with small drops of precipitation; we skirted around each other between the raindrops, I broke the flow of momentum as I kept my arms close to me to spin forward like a pinwheel, he caught my attack on the pole section of the spear and redirected the first downward slash; he twisted the staff in a half circle and held it vertically, bending my arm slightly to the left, I pulled back my sword and he followed with a quick thrust I caught the spearhead by crossing my blades as I slid under the thrust, I kicked in his shins and spun my hands before I sprung upward, I hit him square in the face and neck with both of my sneakers; he staggered backward; from the remaining momentum I sheathed my swords, I spun to the ground and landed on both hands; I shot myself forward bend my arms and followed with an arced bicycle kick, I beat down on his chest before finishing with a drop kick; I sent him flying down the path into the main doors of the priory; he crashed into the reinforced wood and concrete sliding gate lock, upon landing I broke into a sprint holding the handles of my swords; I saw him recover and remove himself out of the mold of his back he made into the lock, I drew both swords and slashed downward in a crossing formation, he caught my swords on his staff; with a heavy kick I skidded backwards on the ground, he planted his spear into the worn down stone and vaulted forward, he dived down and landed with his legs bent holding the spear overhead, he slashed down; I dashed back with a jump as the spearhead hit the ground, it was demolished into a small crater, he retracted his spear as he ran forward, holding a hand forward and placed the spear on outer side of his right as a small foot long stick, before I landed I was somehow locked in place, I couldn’t move until he thrust his hands forward and tore into my chest; splitting open my chest cavity holding the ribs; he tore out my rib cage, accelerating the aging process, saw the flesh on the ribs decay away leaving only the bones; slashing downward on my shoulder blades he cut off my arms from their sockets, grabbing my heart with his right hand he ripped it out from the connected veins and arteries, and impaled me through the bottom end of my spine tearing through my tail bone extending his spear, he thrust downward slamming into the ground breaking my tailbone, pulling out the spear he impaled me through base of my neck breaking my windpipe and shattering the connection of the spinal cord he pulled out the spearhead and held the retracted staff at his side breathing heavily trying to regain his composure. Time flowed naturally the rain beat down on us, the ground ran red with my blood; my healing kicked into overdrive as my body returned into its whole self, “My turn now”. I reformed myself back together; I got on my feet and took off my ruined t-shirt with my torn apart jacket leaving myself covered in black thermal sweater, I shot forward as ground cracked apart at my feet; blood boiled inside my body, my muscles rippled and tensed with energy as I pulled back my fist; with a heavy handed punch I cracked his sternum in apart, I landed in close proximity to beat down on his chest cracking the protective bones and rupture his innards, I cracked his collarbone with heavy chop from left hand, with two successive palm strikes I broke his jaw and nose, with a quick draw my swords I slashed the major veins in each of his limbs, before he even bled out I thrust my hand forward and grabbed the back of his head smashing my knee into his face crushing his facial structure, sent flying upward, I sprinted and jumped after him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and my legs around his neck, I tilted our bodies into a dive bomb and smashed the top of his skull into the ground first, I quickly let go of his neck, landing on my feet I broke his spine in half with a knee, I grabbed his legs and flung him over my head, smashing him face first into the ground; I walked up to him and curb stomped the base of his neck snapping the spinal connection. I saw his bones pop back into place, he repositioned his bones back into the correct positions and cracked his joints; he looked at me holding a stopwatch, and cracked a smile as his gaze shifted toward the LED display, I saw the screen and it was blank. “Damn thing always runs of batteries when I need it most”. He breathed heavily, as he regained his bearings; he pocketed his watch, and walked over to me, looking me in the eyes he spoke with conviction in his voice, “Me and the people I work with were never supposed to interfere with the development of the world; our roles were just simply to be observers not catalysts to correct the course of time as it should be to begin with, so just exactly what the hell do you think you’re doing”? “Conflict has drove the course of empires and rulers down multiple paths, both for good or ill; I intend to protect the place I call home from anyone that dares to threaten it, my home and family are here; I will never let anyone that take from me ever again”. “Fools learn from experience of agony themselves, while the wise learn from the mistakes of their peers and enemies”— “Shut your mouth, the thing I hate more than anything are those who hide in their towers and shut themselves from the world only to look as the things around you fall into ruin, you say I am fool and you wise; no one can determine that but for themselves, in the eyes of mortals everyone is doomed to fail to pass the judgment that surrounds them at one point or another; people by nature are prone to err from any set course often becoming worse than who they began as… we are not meant to be judges, only to be deciders of our own fate”. “The coming battle, will set the course of the world down a path of no return; can you tell me, that you can face the possibility of extinction for everything you love and care for yet still move on”. “So few things are in set stone, even the things seem immovable at first can be shaken up to be destroyed into rubble, any obstacle no matter how impossible it may seem at first can be overcome, people these days have no idea how to hope anymore, they seem to have lost the balls to grab opportunity by the throat and toss it out the window into the traffic isle called success”. “There are hunters the world over who have forgotten the meaning behind their work, our duty is to eliminate the impossible threats that jeopardize the safety of the world; once that’s taken care of, we kick our foot through the door and open up a path of own to find truth in our lives, no how improbable the outcome may be we always have to keep striving toward the finish even if hell stands between us and that day”. “But first tell me your name”. “Damon Wright”. “Ashton Queen, pleased to meet you”. I sat down on wooden bench and eased Damon into the space next to me, he leaned back on the metal; “I’ll tell you something right now, say the world does go straight to shit, are you sure that the outcome can’t be changed”. “Yes, currently speaking the course of events will cause the end of everything in five years’ time”. “Veritable gods, I am correct”? “How did you know”? “There isn’t much of a way to describe it you know”? I said with dry laugh, “Doesn’t that idea scare you, knowing that the world you love can be destroyed”? “Deep down, that doesn’t bother me in the slightest; I’ve never taken lemons from life with squeezing them back in its eyes, the beauty of it is the power we have allows us to change our destiny and carve out our path through life”. “Besides there is no use, worrying about something far down the road, I think you would agree that there are more pressing concerns at the moment”. Damon gave me a flustered look before cupping his face; he let out a defeated sigh, “It was supposed to be a clean hit, just in and out; now I’m tied up in a harebrained scheme to ward of an invasion by meta-terrorists, exactly what you did to change my mind”. “Nothing much, I simply showed you the possibility of if”. “How can you always keep your head so high”? “Firstly it helps to stand up straight, and secondly don’t think of failure; approach your goal with grace and fluidity, thirdly: above all else never throw in the towel if there is even the slightest hope, it’s that simple”. “Are you sure that you’ll survive this coming war”? “I can only hope for the best, besides I’m in good company”. “You’re going to step into an inferno”. “Then let them raise hell”. I leaned back in the bench, “Props for unpausing time when you did, it was just ten minutes from the sunset”. I saw the homely orange light pierce through lingering grey clouds, “It’s the moments like this, I want to live for; I hope you can understand that”. Damon nodded his head down, ““What If”? Such a question to ask, why do you dream and reach after for more”? “Because that is how I define happiness”.   
I was left alone in the asylum waiting lobby, it was quiet and empty; as if all the life inside this home had left me. For the times I’ve complained to my loved ones be myself when I was younger, never would I have thought it would be this literal. As my senses came back to me, I felt the warmth and soft cloth of my family’s cloak; the deep cherry red reminded me of home and the more I looked at it, the more I could see the imbued happy memories from inside of me; all of my loved ones: I could feel their love and belief in me, “It’s nice isn’t it”? Her voice was light and ethereal, but I could sense a hidden pain behind her words, as my vision focused from my sleep, I saw a woman standing in front of me, she had medium length strawberry blonde hair, her skin was a mix of olive green and a light summer tan; she wore a simple tank top under a unbuttoned grey long sleeve shirt and a pair of loose tattered jeans; she loosened the belt straps her beige leather sandals as she stepped inside the lobby, taking off her cowboy hat she looked at me flicking aside her bangs; she gave me a light smile, and I caught the scent of rust from her breath, I smelled the cold ashes inside the ritual pyre mix with the overwhelming bloody iron scent coming from her skin, she sat down next to me and took a deep sigh; her scent drove me crazy, I felt myself slipping away as the smell of iron grew stronger and stronger… the odd thing was I was intoxicated by her, not repulsed. She pulled herself closer to me, “You like what you see”? She said brushing her lips against my neck, “What if I said yes”. She brushed her supple hands around my sides, I felt a warm feeling in my stomach as she raised and slid her arms down my back before wrapping them around my waist, she rested her head on my breasts and breathed me in, I could see her face get rosy; I looked into her bright yellow eyes, a subtle tint of green showed around her pupils as I saw them grow with excitement, she relaxed her grip and sat back in her chair, leaving my heart beating almost out of my chest; “Then we’ll play some more later”. She chuckled; “For now, let’s get to business”. The playfulness in her attitude and body language changed to that a honed weapon as she stood up and hardened metal around her body as a protective cover, her skin had lustrous sheen as the low voltage lights shined down on her, “And please give me a run for my money, I expect to compensated for our little taste test”. She chuckled and walked outside putting on her sandals and hat; “I’ll be waiting for you on the street”. I stood up and stretched; I felt a spark inside me, then I heard my voice: “Don’t forget who you are, remember everything that means to you”. I looked at the mirror next to the magazine rack, since when did I wear this: under my cloak I was wearing a maroon red sweater and free flowing beige silk pants, I tightened the thin black laces of my winter boots and walked out the lobby doors into the foyer; I took in each step as I walked to the exit, I phased through the wall and stepped out into the street; it was cloudy outside, I smelled the rain on the asphalt and heard the wind howl; everything in this district was empty, and lifeless… it was a ghost town except for the automated trains that sped around the storage units; I faced my opponent, and cracked my knuckles; my cloak flowed behind me as my flames slowly rose, I launched forward in a blaze of flames; I swung down my fist and sent out an explosive blast; she raised a wave of metal from the street, I landed on my hands and threw myself into a cartwheel; I mashed my heel downward, making a small crater in the asphalt; I pulled my leg back upward and spun around on my hands as she reached for me with both hands, I bounced on one hand and leapt back; I ducked under a left straight and punched her stomach, I sent her flying back from the impact leaving a scorch mark in the center of her gut. As she halted to a stop she used the street as a magnetic rail and propelled herself toward me using the electric current running through the power lines, as she got closer I saw the metal from the warehouses cling to her body as an additional suit of protection; stopping completely twenty five feet from where I was standing, she thrust her arms forward and sent her armor speeding toward me like a bullet, dust flew everywhere as the metal suit crashed into the ground at my feet; clang, I brushed aside her fist with my outer side of my forearm; ducking under a left hook, I tackled her to the ground and smashed away at her torso; my fists slowly peeled away her skin, as her clothing was exposed; the metal I broke off wrapped around my arms and covered them from the shoulder down leaving me pinned to her torso, I broke free of the bindings as I pulled my arms backward and threw off the sleeves with two quick punches; she caught the metal and it formed back seamlessly back into her body. I swatted aside her punches with my forearms, she kept up the pressure with a series of heavy handed chops and powerful low kicks; I fended off each blow releasing a little blast of intense microwaves as she made contact with my skin, I saw the metal covering her skin turn into semi-liquid ore as it became softened, I placed my hands in front of my mouth and formed a diamond, I breathed out a jet of fire; a saw small glints in the inferno as she formed a wall of metal to protect herself from the flames, I saw the wall go back into the ground and I bent my neck to the left, dodging her straight punch, I stepped forward smashing my fist into her stomach knocking the wind out of her; I spun around on my heel and smashed her skull with a reverse roundhouse. I pulled her head down and smashed it into my knee; grabbing her by the throat I stood her upright, letting go I teleported behind her in a jet of flames and broke her upper spine with a palm thrust, I grabbed the collar and midsection of her shirt to toss her to the ground, a hand of fire grabbed her neck and pulled her downward smashing the lower part of her spine on the road, I walked up to her and smashed her sternum with a hard stomp, grabbing her by the collar I spun on my feet into a doughnut and tossed her into the air; I warped into the air, I caught her between my knee and elbows; smashing her rib cage and the middle section of her spine, I threw her to the ground and warped back to the street; grabbing her collar I drove her skull into the road scrambling her brains on the asphalt. I saw her stand back up regenerating the missing chunks of flesh torn from her body, she popped her jaw into place and dashed forward in a superman punch, I felt my jaw shatter from the impact; she ducked into a Dempsey roll and hammered away at my midsection with a machine gun burst of jabs, having my rib cage shattered apart, she let out two fierce hooks before I was launched into the air with an uppercut and grabbed by my feet; smashing my back on the ground; with a tackle she crashed her elbow into my stomach upon impact, and beat my face into a bloody pulp, she stood up and raised her leg over her head positioning it over my face, swinging her right heel down like a guillotine cracking the bones into multiple fragments; I felt my neck snap as my head was beat into a small crater. She wiped off the blood on her heel by dragging her foot, I rolled onto my stomach and let my wounds heal, I got back up and popped my neck back into place; I let my bones reset into place, “Oh still got some fight left in you”? She dashed forward and I caught her lariat with a palm thrust; I lifted her arm above her head and snapped it by the elbow, I caught a low kick from her leg left and smashed her kneecap with a cross guard, I returned a hard kick back to her chest; I dragged her arm toward me for a head butt, I grabbed her by throat and snapped her neck as I threw her back into the opposing street rail, she ducked as she grabbed me by my left leg as she stopped herself from the impact by standing in a wide stance, sweeping up my leg I was tossed on my back; I rolled out of the way and dodged a stomp, I did an arced dropkick coming out of the momentum of a back spin and kicked her to the ground. Landing on my hands I spun up to my feet, I sprinted forward into a tornado kick and watched her block it as she stood back up, I landed and followed up with dashing elbow to her face, she staggered back and ducked under to grab my waist, I was lifted up on my feet; having my skull and upper back smashed into the ground with a power bomb; I was grabbed again and she bent me over into a suplex cracking my neck on the street. I staggered to my feet as she let go of me, as my vision cleared up she formed a long blade from her right arm and impaled my stomach, lifting me off the ground she retracted back the blade pulling within arm’s reach to grab my neck, with three punches to my stomach and face, she finished with a haymaker and sent me flying down the street; I was impaled through the heart with a long metal spike and crashed into the ground breaking my spine, I shot back up on my feet and held my hands in front of me for a fireball, as released the blast she walked up to me forming the metal around my body into an iron maiden, closing the eye slot; my back crashed into the shell from the explosion, I tilted my head back from the whiplash, hitting the back of my skull; by reaction I stood at the center of the ten foot diameter circle and formed a glassy orange shell around my body preserving the blood spikes formed inside the canister and broke off my ember shell, I opened my eyes and saw spikes just millimeters from my limbs, I saw bladed edged just graze past my cheek, suspending the death trap; the shell dropped into four parts and I clapped my palms together inside the ember, my protective armor exploding into a million fragments of explosive sparks, “Burn in hell”. I directed the blast forward and sent the mothballs of fire toward her, snapping my fingers, the first set of sparks burned her eyes out of their sockets, I blew off her limbs one by one as detonated the sparks near the joints, I roasted her head and torso, charring her remains pitch black; I saw her body scatter into iron fillings, her body magnetized together and was standing back in front of me good as new. She hardened a shell of metal around her fists and decked me to the ground with a one-two combo, I got back up breathing hard, I filled my lungs with oxygen and breathed out a jet of fire; she walked forward just shaking off the flames with her armor, just a little closer; I got on all fours and raised the heat in my body setting myself ablaze, I charged the fires and blasted forward like rocket, I crashed into her stomach and saw the whites of her eyes as they rolled over; she did a double take and I stood up grabbing the back of her head, I smashed her head into my knee, I grabbed her neck and hit her face on the asphalt multiple times turning it into a bloody paste, with a groan she reformed the torn muscles; “Enough games”. With a combat roll she sprang back to her feet and turning on the balls, she dashed forward; I caught her fists and met her toe to toe, she pulled me in and smashed her knee into my smash, smashing her elbows down into my back; I staggered back and she followed with a succession of wild hooks, with a dynamite punch to my face I was sent crashing to the ground. Walking over to me she knelt to deliver the final blow, I caught her fist and bent her arm in corkscrew; I let go and smashed my feet into her torso with rising dropkick, I wrapped my calf’s around her neck and threw her over my waist crashing her head into the ground; for a moment we just laid there breathless with our bodies feeling like one giant wound, we faded in and out of consciousness regrouping the remaining iotas of strength in our bodies; I wiped off the blood and sweat: I got a couple blows in me… chances are she does too. She heaved for air as she staggered back up, I stood back on my feet regaining my composure; I let her punch forward, from the sluggish motion of the straight I stepped out of the way, grabbing her arm I finished the match with a judo throw; smashing her back into the ground. I sat next to her and coughed out blood infused mucus, I heard our stomachs growl, “Rock paper scissors… loser pays”. She panted out, “Okay… on three”. “One”. I heaved out, she raised two fingers trying to catch her breath, “Three”; I saw her fist and felt my heart sink into my stomach… I threw out scissors and she threw out rock, “Damn it”. “Call me Rachel”. “Elaine”; she yawned before smiling, “The ugly ducks always become the most beautiful swans”. I laid down on the street, “Well looks like my treat, so what do you want”? I heard a snore in reply, I tilted my head saw her drool and blush as she dreamt about dinner, tomorrow’s Christmas eve… half a year’s gone by already, just a week until the fight of our lives. I got on my feet and directed myself toward the center of the dead zone taking Rachel on my back, and surprisingly she was light as a feather; I walked along the empty sidewalk, with Rachel piggy backing on me and looked at the rising full moon surrounded by countless twinkling lights; there was a sky full of stars tonight, wiping the coming tears welling in my eyes; I started to long for my friends… my family, “Please come home safe”.   
Hearing the sound of the rotating cylinder gave me some comfort, I placed in eight cartridges and snapped back the cylinder, I repeated the same for the second pistol and placed them both in the holster, remember, first: quick draws only, second: keep target within optimal range, third: resort to melee last. And last but not least: raise hell. I saw a satyr stand in front of me; there was an inky aura around him, darkness seeped out of pores hiding him a shell; sharp glints showed as he curled his mouth into a smile, his cheeks stretched back and he wheezed in anticipation, he reached for his side and drew out a telescopic wand. “Wanna play”? His voice sounded like nails on a chalk board, it grated my ears and sent a shiver down my spine; “Cat got your tongue”? I looked into his dead grey eyes, I don’t know if it was fatigue or if it was real I saw his eyeballs rotate in their sockets; they set in place and were filled with color, I looked into a deep violet ocean; filled with mystery and compassion, he let go of his mask to a stranger… why? As I whipped out my pistols the monster in front of me became more human in appearance and action; I squeezed the triggers and sent out a hail of bullets, I saw a set of normal teeth smile back and kind eyes greet my attack. He walked forward, dancing between the bullets; he stepped in front of me and looked me in the eye as he knelt to my level, placing his hands on my shoulders he wrapped his arms around my waist; the warm fur brushed against me along with his soft and inviting clothes, he smelled like a fireplace; the scent of smoking woodchips and sweet pastries came from his body. “See past the darkness, little one”; he pressed his thumb against my head and sat me on the dirt ground, putting away his wand; he sat in front of me before laying on the road; I felt a sinking feeling my gut, no… I stepped inside a web, how? “Don’t worry I’m not going to kill you”. “How can I trust you”? “Only one way to tell”. He patted the space next to him with a thick hand, “Lay down and let’s chat”. He sniffed the air, “Your blood is sweet, fragrant; like a flower, yet you are tainted at your innocent core… dear child, do you know what kind of life you’ve stepped into”? “How can you tell all that from just my scent”? “Blood is the ultimate medium, a formless mass that could be shaped into anything you want it to be… when used in magic its capabilities are wide, but it is a cursed art that is considered as heresy by the modern day mages; as for the scent of a person, its only your gut feeling that give a semi-accurate description of the person… so tell me I am on the money or not”? I nodded my head as yes, I caught his scent and didn’t know how to feel; I was overwhelmed by the essence of a loving home, he was in his own right the caretaker for his family; “Appearances aren’t everything… my love hides something quite ugly”. “Where are my manners, I forgot to introduce myself: I’m Viktor”. “Astoria”. “Tell me is worth saving all those you hide from”? “Astoria, all the lives untouched by our madness; when the day comes, all of that will change, the veil will be torn and everything will simply die”? “We exist to protect those untouched by knowledge, until they are able to walk on their own”. “All learning comes at price, let humanity blossom into its potential… let them face down their own demons, why should we risk our lives for the people that don’t know we even exist”? “If you’re trying to talk me out of fighting Sigma, give it up; because I’m not listening”. “You’re just like him, Nolan; how has he been really”? “Why don’t you ask me yourself”? I looked up and saw Nolan walk down the dirt roads; he sat down next to us dressed in a simple black and white t-shirt; his grey pants flowed loosely and he took off his slippers, and looked at me with a sigh; “You certainly are a beautiful girl”. “And Astoria if you’re going to send a SOS don’t do it with your pistols, you almost blew my apprentices head off”. “As for you, my pupil; what gives, I know you’re not the person for an afternoon cuesta, especially in the outskirts of a rail yard”. “It’s a nice change of pace, Nolan”. Viktor pulled out a remote switch, Nolan looked at Viktor with an empty scowl; “Don’t worry its broken”. He tossed me the switch and smiled; “We’ll meet again at the eleventh hour, for now study that tool it’ll come in handy when it counts”. “Leaving so soon”? Nolan asked Viktor, “I’ve got people to kill, and places to be”. Nolan stood up and they pressed their arms against each other, “Where the snow falls, death shall soon follow”. “Can’t the flames ward off winter”? “Only for so long, teacher”. I looked at Nolan and saw a black tear in his eye, he wiped his hand across his face, we saw him walk down the road; snowfall settled in the area and obscured our sight of him, the sound of hooves grew fainter and fainter until our breathing was the only we could hear.   
“My student, my friend… I’m lucky to have met him”. I looked at Astoria, I felt the tears well up in my eyes; it’s not a guarantee that someone will die… please I hope that’s the case. “Don’t be so depressed Nolan”. I heard a voice behind me, it was hushed out by the sounds of beating wings; I turned and saw an angel. “Kefira”. I said with cold rage growing my voice, she smiled, “I’m not going to fool you into fearing me with an illusion… I will show you the wrath behind my judgment”. I drew my sword and faced her, I saw singe marks on her wings and smelled Ragnarok’s blood on her pure white robes. I grit my teeth, “Astoria… watch closely I’m going to vivisect this angel”. “I’d to see you—   
As she touched the ground, I saw a splash of blood and her left leg was severed from her body. Nolan held his sword at his side as the limb simply faded into nothingness as it touched the ground, she tapped her nonexistent left foot and I heard a soft tap crunch on the snow. “Let’s have some fun shall we”. She looked at me, and motioned with her eyes toward the switch I was holding; “I see Viktor gave you a trump card”. She dashed forward in a blinding flash of light, “Hand it over like a good girl”. I felt her cold blood on my cheek as Nolan stabbed her through the chest impaling her heart I saw that Kefira stood still as she wiped the blood from her mouth. “Leave her alone”.   
I ripped the sword out of her chest and cut out a section of her lower back, under the torn robe she started regenerating instantly; “I am symbol of the law, not a symbol of nice”. She turned around and manifested a glaive in her hand, just as she was about to skewer Nolan through the chest; I pressed the trigger and saw the world stop for a moment, out in the distance I heard an angry and familiar voice. It calmed down I saw Ragnarok appear out of the blue; he gazed at me with serious eyes as he motioned his body into a shadow kick, I pressed the trigger again and Ragnarok kicked her in the side, he sent her flying into a dead tree and running after her he followed with an overhead fist that ripped into the tree, splintering everywhere upon impact; he looked at Nolan, I felt a hand on my shoulder; I looked and saw her dust the snow off her wings; “How disappointing, their bloodlust… it certainly hasn’t diminished after all these years”. She knelt at my side, her expression lightened as she covered the both of us with her wings; “I am Paladin Kefira”. “What is your name young one”? “Astoria”. I saw Kefira stand back up cracking her neck; “Are you on my side or not Viktor”? I saw the satyr appear next to her in a cloak of shadows, “A tag team match… how intriguing”. She touched my back and pointed to a small knoll to overlooking the field we were in; all eyes were on me, “Astoria would you kindly referee this fight”. Nolan asked me, I walked up between them was almost squished into a pancake by their raw power alone, I swung down my arm, as they saw me mouth: “Go”. All hell broke loose. They twitched in anticipation, as I walked to the overlook; I felt tension reach to a head, the shit hit the fan and I rolled into cover inside an abandoned foxhole and peeked out, I stood up and saw that the field had emptied out. It was quiet except for a light hum, I turned after feeling a light tap on my shoulder and faced a third party of this skirmish, she glittered like the nights sky, beautiful and by all means a goddess… in fact that’s what she was, I wondered what was going through her mind to lower herself to our level. I looked her eyes and saw the vastness of the universe, the scope of her wisdom in a warm look; “Let’s talk, I’m feeling a little nauseous from watching those children squabble”. She pointed to the street brawl behind me, “Are you not drawn by violence”? “No I’m sick of fighting”. “Then would you join me for some peace and quiet”. I hesitated for a moment, she spoke; her voice was kind and soft: “They’re safe, don’t worry”. “How do you know”? She giggled and wandered off into the growing blizzard, never touching the ground; my vision of her was blocked as the blizzard grew larger, I was blinded by the flurry, I walked forward not knowing a thing into a white and desolate void.   
“Avenger, you of all people should know what the term means”. I faced Kefira in this masochistic safety bubble, the four of us were placed in a modified pocket dimension to reduce collateral and harm to each other, but right now I hardly think that would matter; all of us have the intent to kill, and nothing is going to satisfy that bloodlust without heads rolling. She drew out her glaive and swung it around like a staff, I saw focus manifest in her eyes; she stared into my soul like a hawk, I looked into her eyes and saw the child I had left behind all those years ago. “I’m not an avenger by any means”. I drew my Kusanagi and held it one handed, I looked at the seats around the arena, knowing our partners were on standby was reassuring but that meant there was more risk involved; we approached the middle of the platform, and readied our weapons. “Ladies first”. Kefira thrust forward and I glanced off the spear head holding my blade in front of me as I sidestepped to dodge, I felt and heard the metal sing its deadly lullaby; a smile crept on my face, and my heart stopped feeling for a moment; I shut off my emotion and dodged her thrusts, she ducked under and spun the glaive around in 720 cycle, I stepped back and saw Kefira vault forward using the momentum of the swing, utilizing the spearhead as launching fulcrum and the longsword stinger a makeshift projectile; I saw her dive down with the stinger and stepped out of the way, just like her father… how interesting. She stabbed the ground with her stinger and spun around the steel pole into an arced kick, her body flew past mine as I moved out of the way, “Are you even trying, you’re going to bore me to death”. I taunted her but her movements remained fluid, I watched her rebound off the ground; she turned on the balls of her feet as landed from the missed kick and dashed back to her weapon; she removed the staff and thrust forward, I dodged and watched her leap into the air, she used the glaive as a pogo stick and hopped toward me stabbing the ground at my feet, I dashed back as she landed on the ground, using her feet she slid forward and spun around in a deadly cycle; I played limbo as I bent back my waist to dodge, she leapt up on the pole again and slid down causing a cascade of sparks and dust; I saw her shadow in the dust spin the staff for my legs, I moved my feet in shuffles masking my footsteps, staying out of range I still felt the cool metal lightly brush against my ankles during the swing, with a second leap she slammed the staff down, clearing the dust; I was greeted with a look of surprise as she saw me hold the spearhead above my head with my offhand, I let go and readied my stance again; I glanced off the spearhead tilting my sword to parry her thrust, lowering my sword I moved my head side to side as she alternated thrusts; I caught the staff portion of the glaive after the sixth thrust, blades and all it slid past my chest as I redirected the blade to the ground, impaling itself at the tip. I stepped away as I let Kefira reclaim her weapon and prepared myself, with a vaulting kick she opened up the next string of attacks, she pushed forward and spun around holding the stinger end; landing on both feet she redirected the spear at my feet, she thrust forward scraping off a portion of clear paint covering the metal floor we stood on; I stepped back and like a top she spun forward holding the glaive behind her back, tucked under her arms; the blade almost grazed my ankle, I blocked the spin with a downward thrust and positioned the flat side of my blade; she lunged forward and I raised my sword backhanded to block an overhead, I blocked a coming thrust spinning the sword handle in my hand and tilted my blade at a forty five degree angle, the glaive shot up and into the air; I pulled back my arm and stepped to the left the spear slid past my ear barely missing, I parried the following downward slash and spun around holding the base of the main blade; “You disappoint me”. I let go and parried the next driving thrust, I tilted my sword and pointed it straight, I let the spearhead glance off into the ground as I lowered my arm; she stumbled forward barely missing the stinger, she picked up her weapon again threw it like a javelin; I cocked my head to the right and grabbed the spear with my off hand stopping it in its tracks, I tossed her back the spear with the blades pointing away from her body. “Christ your movements are sloppy”. I sheathed my sword, and held it at my side: she failed my test… how disappointing, time to end this. “Come at me if you want, my patience is running thin”. She thrust forward and I drew my sword; click, my sword briefly flashed as a glint from the stage lights above us, stabbing into my afterimage I sliced her stomach open with horizontal cut, and slashed downward splitting her body in neatly half; I watched the two halves drop to the ground crossed over each other, they faded away like a fine mist, “A mirage”. I felt a smile on my lips, I stepped out of the way and raised my sword to protect my back, I turned on the balls of my feet holding the sword two handed, I slashed down and bit into an another fake; I rolled out of the way to dodge a staff slam; she made a small crater as she leapt on her staff. I spun around to my left dodge a thrust aimed toward my head and slashed down as she jumped off her perch landing into a with low thrust, almost slicing her head open I bit into her glaive pole as she shot her arms up, I kicked her stomach and broke her guard; I slashed downward and put her on the defensive, she caught the second blow, I could see the strain on her legs I pressed down on her glaive; giving in she knelt on the ground barely holding back my attack: “You wasted all your energy in trying to hit something that can’t be touched”. I slashed down again, she let out a scream of pain as the bones in her legs started to feel the strain of her attacks; lowered the staff with each continuous strike exposing her scalp for a clean bisection, again and again sparks flew as metal clashed against metal, “Why do you resist… Just die already”! In frustration my blood boiled to a breaking point, “Ragnarok that’s enough”! Nolan’s voice was muffled out by my rage, I couldn’t hear only feel a bitter anger; I slashed down again, I looked at her and was snapped to my senses, “No”! I screamed as I stopped at an inch from cutting her in half, I could see the tears of joy in her eyes as she realized her life was spared; what I am becoming? My hands trembled as I sheathed my sword, “No… no… no, how I could let that happen”. I heard Kefira cry behind me, I sat down with her and wrapped my arms around her head; “I’m sorry”. “I’m sorry”. I apologized profusely, as we sobbed together; “The monster inside of us, life’s a bitch isn’t it”? Nolan chuckled, “That feeling makes your stomach turn, but as much as we hate to admit we secretly love it, want more of it… that desire to utterly slaughter our enemies, it breeds by hatred and anger, compassion and love are unknown to this beast… the very thing we are doomed to become, if we even for a moment give in, but you want to know something: I don’t care”. He placed a hand on my shoulder, “Grow up will you”. I felt a hard kick to my stomach as I was sent skidding across the floor; he drew his sword, and placed it at Kefira’s throat holding her by her hair; “Just a few seconds, and it’ll be game over; unless she can tough it out like the rest of us”. Letting go of her hair she was left standing her on her feet, I watched helpless as Nolan impaled her through the back breaking her lower spine, puncturing through her heart; he tore out his sword cutting her vocal cords, slashing an x pattern on her back, he kicked her to the ground and curb stomped her back; “scream for your life”, grabbing her head he stabbed her through the back of her skull with a downward thrust; twisting the blade he turned the sword horizontally as he severed the upper half of her head from her body, grabbing her throat he drove the sword down her exposed throat cutting through her heart and digestive system; the blade dripped with blood and excrement as he pierced through her rectum staked into the ground under her, he pulled out the sword and wiped it clean with his hand smelling the fluids; “Like butterflies and rainbows”. He chuckled like a madman, I saw Kefira regenerate from the killing blow; she staggered to her feet and puked out her guts before doing a double take; she screamed in agony, I ran over and looked at her condition; she was in shock, her pulse fluctuated wildly as she heaved in and took short gasps of air; her sclera were bloodshot and her pupils dilated, cries of grief echoed through the room; I held her hand and spoke to her steadying my voice, regaining my composure in the process. “Look at me, you’ll be fine… you’ll be fine, I’m here for you”. “Kefira… focus on me… okay”. She shook her head, I saw the rest of her body shiver in fear; “The both you”, Nolan scowled at us; I blasted him back with a psychowheel as he ran toward us with fury in his eyes, “That’s enough”! “Like the spoiled virgin you are”. Nolan spat out with loathing, he ran toward ready for a punch; I knocked him to the ground and beat down on him mashing his face into a bloody pulp, I was thrown to the ground and pinned with a chokehold, “fuck off” He punched my throat and stood up to stomp my chest, he pressed in the hard slipper sole beating down on my sternum. “Such brutality, such bloodlust… its delicious”, I heard manic laugh followed by a slow clap in the shadows of this stage; Viktor walked out into the light and greeted us with a smile, it was friendly, just a set of teeth craving for more violence. “You crossed the line, she was still a kid”. He cracked his knuckles; I saw the vein in his neck pulse with fury, “Yeah so is Astoria, no one showed her mercy”. Nolan shot back, I saw an intense rage in his eyes; the death of a child he so loved, it wasn’t that he didn’t care anymore, he just wanted to let go of that hate he harbored for the person who harmed Astoria. “Call me a beast, because that’s what I am”! “Very well, I’ll put you down like the mad dog you are”. A dark mass coated Viktor, he coated himself in a cloud of inky goo; “Let’s play”! His voice was sinister, and cut our ears upon hearing it; he drew a wand and fired out a bolt of darkness, I stepped in the way and slashed the bolt in half; Nolan looked at me shaking his head; “Good grief the next time either one of us loses our minds someone is going to die”. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there”. I sheathed my sword and faced Viktor with Nolan at my side, “Hand to hand only, and keep your mind focused on the target; clear out everything else”. Viktor coated Kefira’s body with an inky darkness; I saw her body convulse and go into a seizure, as a light broke through her inky shell, “No harm has ever come to her, and no harm will ever come to her”! Her bones contorted into correct places as she stood back up, all of her injuries were gone, her voice was different more calm and mature; as she has lived through countless lifetimes of conflict, her light… now I know why it felt so evil, I saw the warriors spirit inside of her standing right in front of me; it was a latent power triggered by crisis… to give immense wisdom and strength, above all it was to shut off the fear holding her back and now we’re going to bear brunt of her wrath.


	13. Episode Thirteen: Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust.

I blocked off Viktor with my palms, he dashed forward and kicked with a thick hoof; I caught his leg and snapped his knee with a quick punch, letting go of his leg I ran forward and lunged into a dive; with a tackle I him pinned to the ground, wrapping my hands around his neck I shook his head colliding it with the ground, I clenched his throat and heard a snap; I punctured into his chest and tore out his heart, the organ burst in my hands and he faded away into a shadow; I felt him hanging above me as I rolled out of the way, he staked down a three pronged golden trident nicking my side; I shot back up and drew my sword, I caught my blade between the second and third prongs I twisted my wrist spinning the polearm out his hands, it landed with a clang, Viktor reached for his weapon; I shot forward and punched him the face, knocking him to the ground. I sheathed my sword and raised my hands, I saw him scramble for his weapon; he was never supposed to be a fighter, I looked at Kefira being hammered down by Nolan’s wrath; even buffed to the point of a god she was still leagues out of Nolan skill and ferocity, breaking her armor with a clean vertical slash he put away his sword, regaining his composure he took a deep breath. Viktor shot forward with his trident while I distracted, “Have you no honor”? I stared him down and broke down his shell, he cowered in terror as I approached him; I saw his hands shake, he fell on his knees and looked at me, I had no pity or compassion for people who fought like him; I only wanted to carve him apart, “Get out of my sight”. I raised my hand and charged my anger into my fist, “No I had enough fighting”. I dropped my stance and approached Kefira, “What the hell are you doing, we’re in the— “Shut up, Nolan”. I clocked Nolan in the jaw and watched him fall back like a statue, saw Viktor smile and saw the inky shell around him start to wisp, it hissed more and more as I walked closer to her: I wrapped my arms around Kefira, the cold metal of her cracked armor started to fade away into warm flesh and bone; “Don’t be afraid anymore, you’ll be alright my child”. I felt her tears, and looked at her; she was still a child inside, alone and scared just like all other people, the shell surrounding Viktor broke complete he looked at me with genuine emotion; “You’re the first person to understand compassion is stronger than actually strength”. I heard a quick gasp, “You’re supposed to the best of the best, I trained you and her; this is what you become instead”. “Get up I’m going to kill you right now”. Pulling him to his feet by the neck, I saw Viktor’s mouth drop letting out a shocked gasp— “you’re pissing me off”. Nolan impaled Viktor through the stomach with his fist, pulling out his hand he was kicked to the ground; Nolan flicked his hand and shook off the coat of blood, resting Kefira on the ground I ran between them and stopped Nolan from killing Viktor, “That’s enough… they had more than they can handle”. “That’s the price for biting off more than you can chew”. “Were you always such an asshole”? I shot back on my feet and kneed Nolan in the stomach, I stabbed him through the stomach with my sword and yanked it out, I slashed down as an after image cutting the first layer of muscle and tendons in his head and torso, with eight slashes I cut out a bloody spider web in his pale chest, I shot forward slicing off his head; from the bloody stump showed out, I thrust my arms back and stabbed him in the back; I turned and pulled the sword up cutting his body in half, I sheathed my sword as I saw him regenerate back together. He spit out bloody mucus, and seethed with rage; “Why didn’t you kill them, but killed me hmm”? “Tell me damn it”! I dashed forward and clenched his throat, “Shut up”. With my off hand and I impaled his left side, grabbing three of his ribs I cracked them in my hand; he screamed in agony, “Let’s see how beautiful death is when you experience it for real”. “Stop”! I heard Kefira scream, “Papa… he’s had enough”! I looked at her and felt my heart constrict, “Focus on me you bastard”. Nolan croaked out as he punched my chest again breaking through the cartilage, he grabbed my heart; “You know we don’t have to be friends”. I let go of his throat, “You’re weak, you show mercy, and compassion… that makes me want to puke”. He let go of my artery connected to my heart, the blood flowed normally; I gasped for air, he looked at me with spiteful eyes before turning his back, he walked away leaving me on the ground to recover, I stood back up and Nolan stood ready for a quick draw; “I promised myself not kill you… you mean too much to me, but I swear to God get in my way again and I will end you”. I took my stance, placing my hand on the sword handle I took my drawing stance; he dashed forward and I pulled out my sword, we clashed blades sending sparks everywhere… the heated metal sang out a calming tune. I blocked his wild string of swings, I shot forward and cut Nolan down with a blow to his midsection; he fell on his knees before hitting the ground sliced in two; I saw his waist reconnect to his torso, we looked around us and saw that we were back in the empty field alone, Kefira and Viktor had run away in the thick of things; I sat down next to Nolan, he looked at me with a saddened look as he calmed down: “Was it really that easy to hold back… Ragnarok be honest with me”. “No, it never is”. “Then why didn’t you cut loose, you never held back for anyone else before”. “She’s my daughter how can I hurt her knowing that”? “I suppose the same can be said with Viktor, but you want to know something… everything we just been through was a lie”. “What… how, it felt so real”. “Deception is the ultimate skill, and we just fell for it hook, line and sinker”. We started walking the desolate whiteout, I looked at my feet and saw two trails both mostly disappeared; no this really is a trap, those two weren’t cut out to fight their opponents head on at least not without extensive preparation, everything I had just been through in the last fifteen minutes was a way to get me and Nolan out of energy. We heard a bow string being pulled back and the cock of an assault rifle in the cover of the blizzard, I collapsed on my knees from the earlier fight; “You got some fight left you”? Nolan asked me as he helped me to my feet, “How did you know that it was a trick”? “You ever see anyone die so easily”? “Point taken”. I aimed my shotguns and Nolan readied his assault rifle, we stood back to back; I heard the sound of a grenade pin drop in the snow, a cylindrical canister landed at our feet; we rolled out of the way and covered our eyes from a blinding flash of light, nine blasts went off from the epicenter of the explosion each accompanied by an intense flash; I heard a snap and the world around us went dark, an arrow whizzed past my head; I caught the shaft and saw a blinking light in the sharpened head, knocked to the ground with a concussive blast I was looking at the normal world upside down; I heard another arrow being notched being me through muffled ears, rolling out of the way I crawled behind a tree, coming to senses I tilted my head to the left to avoid being impaled through the neck with an arrowhead; I rolled behind a mound of snow as I saw a small timer countdown, shrapnel flew everywhere ripping the tree inside out, I heard another arrow being notched, I peeked out of cover and pulled the trigger tracing the glint of harpoon bolt; “Fucking hell”. I saw my titanium slug get ripped in half by the harpoon, the bolt grazed my right shoulder, sealing the wound on my shoulder I threw down a psychowheel and escaped deeper into the woods, I leaped head first off a hill, as I ran I caught glints of tripwire deep rooted into the canopies; I dived between the thin blades of carbon fiber wire, I let thin drips of blood coat the wires connected to the plastic explosives, my eyes caught a glint of sliver as I slammed right into a epicenter of the blast dome, I heard calm footsteps, I saw that Kefira was dressed in white and grey insulted recon armor as she came out of camouflage, she flexed her beautiful powder white wings; “Hey dad”. She notched an iron bolt, and aimed straight for my heart; “Don’t take it personally, Kefira… but you just lost”. “You’re the one trapped in a nest of— “No, you’re insane”. “It’s a shame we had to meet this, hugs and kisses you know all that fluff”. “And correction you’re the one trapped with me”. I sealed the cuts on my body, I held my arms out before putting the bottom of palm together; I saw the explosive wrecking ball of psycho energy I had made in my mad descent to the geographical center of the forest, “All that effort gone down the shitter, ain’t that a bitch”. I laughed out as I stepped out of the way, I collapsed the web I was trapped in with a snap of my fingers; I saw the a string of explosions as the wires all came rushing toward Kefira as a single ballista arrow, I stepped right in front of her caught the mass of molten carbon fiber; I set it on the ground to cool in the thick sheets of ice, smiling toward Kefira I tossed her the block charging it with a small bit of magic. “Now we’re even”. The block of wires collapsed into a smoke bomb, I shot forward as she coughed out dust; “The problem is you don’t know how to adapt”. I sent her flying into a tree with a heavy punch, I shot forward and ducked into a baseball slide to dodge a swing from her glaive; hopping to her feet she staked the ground with her glaive and went into glaive kick holding the weapon behind her, I pulled out my shotgun and stepped out of the way, I let her pass by me; I let the barrel of my gun brush against her head, she landed and swung her glaive knocking me off my feet, I blasted the ground with a grenade slug and send out a flurry of snow. On landing I dived into the cover to dodge three arrows, I looked as she rolled after the arrows I drew my sword placing the shotgun in my right hand back in its holster; I slashed down hearing the sound of the string being pulled back, I cut the bolts in half and shot out a slug of my own; Kefira sidestepped the round as she closed the gap between us with a slide, I pointed the barrel of my gun at her head and she pointed an arrow at my neck: “Do you yield”? She asked keeping a firm grip on the bolt; “I do”. I holstered my gun and she dropped her arrow, I helped her to her feet and dusted the snow off her wings; “You’ve certainly grown into fine woman”. She hugged me, “I’m always going to love you”. I tightened my arms around her, I felt the tears well in my eyes: in the distance we saw a smoke plume, “What the hell”? A loud boom echoed across the woods, Kefira ran forward, “Viktor is going to die we have to save him”. I chased after Kefira, we stopped at a large clearing decorated with drips of black and red blood; I found Nolan and Viktor clashing knifes, with a kick Nolan broke Viktor’s guard and sent him crashing to the ground, he breathed heavily as he pointed the serrated metal tip at his throat: I drew out my shotguns and Kefira notched an arrow, we aimed at Nolan seeing the murderous intent in his eyes. He took a deep breath and put away the knife, “Next time you will die”. I barely made out the words, I got the gist of it, he helped Viktor to his feet, and Nolan looked at us with frustration in his eyes: “When the time comes can you save those that matter the most to you”? I put away my guns and Kefira put away her arrow; “We’ll just have to see”.   
Thirty minutes earlier  
I traded fire with Viktor as we hopped between the dead trees, ripping them to wood chips we walked toward each other ripping chunks of flesh off each other; we toughed out the crossfire of lead and stood toe to toe, I drew out my knife and Viktor drew his. “We never settled our score, did we”? “In a sense you’re more my rival than my teacher”. “I can the same my pupil”. I took off my ballistic vest and threw it toward Viktor, he ducked under and let it drop into the snow behind him, flecking out blood from the bullet hole from his arm; I turned my head as his blood smeared across my cheek, I ducked under his swing and dashed forward, raising his arm he glanced my blade off his, I stepped back and caught his arm as he threw out a left jab, I bent his arm back, pulling him closer to me by yanking the collar on his sweater I kneed him in the chest he coughed out blood and I threw him into a tree smashing it into splinters; I held my knife and stepped to the right as Viktor charged out of the snow, I kicked his thigh and downed his leg: he tasted my boot with a kick to his face, he scrambled up; with his knife ready he stabbed forward, I stepped back taunting him just by being a hairs length of out his grasp, I caught his upward thrust aimed at my neck turning my head; I smashed my knee into his groin and stabbed into his stomach; I yanked out the blade, he bleated in pain as he raised his arms to block my next attack, I punched forward holding my knife back handed; he’s been training after all, I ducked under his fist to slice his left side, he twisted his arm and blocked my knife: I stepped back relaxing my grip on my knife, dodging his string of slashes keeping it arms reach I threw my knife hitting him the left shoulder, he pulled out the blade and tossed it to the ground pointing down, I dashed forward and caught the knife as it fell, I rolled out of the way and tilted my wrist as I spun the knife in my hand: I thrust forward and Viktor slashed down to stop the blade from cutting his muscles in his right leg, he stabbed down as I spun on my hands to get myself out of the previous slide, positioning my legs against his I wrapped one over the other on his ankles and tilted my waist for a takedown, I let go of the hold and scrambled to my feet; I saw Viktor hop back to his feet and charge forward in a blur, smashing me through six trees; I was flung out his hands smashing into a sheet of ice frozen between two trees, behind me was wide clearing… please snow… be soft, I heard heavy breathing as he lunged forward to break his wild sprint; I braced myself as he punched forward and tossed me out into the clearing, I landed on the padding of grass and snow, I barrel rolled out of the way, Viktor leapt through the air and slashed down with a sabre on where I landed barely missing cutting me half. We turned our feet as I drew my sword with my dominant hand as I shot up to my feet, I pulled the blade toward me for a guard; this is his specialization: gruella warfare, I blocked off his attacks as he kept a flurry of accurate strikes with his sabre and knife, catching his ending strike in a x pattern with my blades I broke his momentum, I directed his body positioning toward the open field, I spun forward and turned into a raging pinwheel of metal, I launched him the air with a high kick to his neck, I jumped after him, I slammed down my elbows on his back as I aligned my arms with his spine; I slashed into his body during free fall, I kicked his torso and sent him crashing into the snow, I spun in the air; I dropped down into a guillotine kick, blowing his body further into a crater. He moaned in pain, I put away my sword and stood ready with my knife as he staggered back up; even after a beating like that he moved fast, just a little out of my range of perception; I put myself on guard and instinctively blocked his swings, he was being desperate, he was out of gas and wanted to end it quickly. I held off the blur of fur and metal he became as he kicked his ferocity into overdrive, he stumbled on a pebble and gave me my chance, I raised my leg above me as he went into a tackle; I slammed down my leg on his neck and sent his chin crashing into the ground, he shot back up and I saw his movement slow to a crawl. I dodged his slashes sliding my boots into on the snow, I kicked up a spray of white and blinded him; I slashed back of his wrists through the white dust as he raised his arms for cover, he broke his guard and dashed forward, before I react he cut the main veins in my arms and legs with four lightning fast slashes; I sealed the wounds and I matched his knifework with mine, our blades sang out an insane tune formed by two madmen struggling to survive; I pulled back my knife and ducked under his thrust, bending my knees, I pointed my arm downward and cut his chest with an ascending slash, spinning on my hands I kicked him to stand upright; I landed on my feet as I tilted my body downward, I dashed forward cutting away; Viktor struggled to hold off my rage as I kept up my attack against his desperate counters, once our blades were at a safe distance from each other I pulled back my knife to a fake a slash and kicked him to ground, I pinned him to the ground; his head crunched against the snow, as I held him down with a knife at his throat.  
I smiled at their answer, “You never fail to amaze me Ragnarok”. “Tell me who matters the most to you”? The question cut my heart deeper than any blade or bullet, our friendship or the relations I have with so many others: it’s like you’re in a room with a person you can connect to in so my levels, like staring into a mirror image but except you have a loaded gun pointed at each-others heads and you’re itching to pull the trigger but you can’t because their secrets are looking right in the eye… you every aspect of the person, you humanize with them… that’s why it’s so damn hard to pull that trigger. “I lost that person years ago… now I’ve got a second chance to keep her safe: I know now that I can save her when it comes down the wire, I can protect Astoria”.   
I blocked off Viktor with my palms, he dashed forward and kicked with a thick hoof; I caught his leg and snapped his knee with a quick punch, letting go of his leg I ran forward and lunged into a dive; with a tackle I him pinned to the ground, wrapping my hands around his neck I shook his head colliding it with the ground, I clenched his throat and heard a snap; I punctured into his chest and tore out his heart, the organ burst in my hands and he faded away into a shadow; I felt him hanging above me as I rolled out of the way, he staked down a three pronged golden trident nicking my side; I shot back up and drew my sword, I caught my blade between the second and third prongs I twisted my wrist spinning the polearm out his hands, it landed with a clang, Viktor reached for his weapon; I shot forward and punched him the face, knocking him to the ground. I sheathed my sword and raised my hands, I saw him scramble for his weapon; he was never supposed to be a fighter, I looked at Kefira being hammered down by Nolan’s wrath; even buffed to the point of a god she was still leagues out of Nolan skill and ferocity, breaking her armor with a clean vertical slash he put away his sword, regaining his composure he took a deep breath. Viktor shot forward with his trident while I distracted, “Have you no honor”? I stared him down and broke down his shell, he cowered in terror as I approached him; I saw his hands shake, he fell on his knees and looked at me, I had no pity or compassion for people who fought like him; I only wanted to carve him apart, “Get out of my sight”. I raised my hand and charged my anger into my fist, “No I had enough fighting”. I dropped my stance and approached Kefira, “What the hell are you doing, we’re in the— “Shut up, Nolan”. I clocked Nolan in the jaw and watched him fall back like a statue, saw Viktor smile and saw the inky shell around him start to wisp, it hissed more and more as I walked closer to her: I wrapped my arms around Kefira, the cold metal of her cracked armor started to fade away into warm flesh and bone; “Don’t be afraid anymore, you’ll be alright my child”. I felt her tears, and looked at her; she was still a child inside, alone and scared just like all other people, the shell surrounding Viktor broke complete he looked at me with genuine emotion; “You’re the first person to understand compassion is stronger than actually strength”. I heard a quick gasp, “You’re supposed to the best of the best, I trained you and her; this is what you become instead”. “Get up I’m going to kill you right now”. Pulling him to his feet by the neck, I saw Viktor’s mouth drop letting out a shocked gasp— “you’re pissing me off”. Nolan impaled Viktor through the stomach with his fist, pulling out his hand he was kicked to the ground; Nolan flicked his hand and shook off the coat of blood, resting Kefira on the ground I ran between them and stopped Nolan from killing Viktor, “That’s enough… they had more than they can handle”. “That’s the price for biting off more than you can chew”. “Were you always such an asshole”? I shot back on my feet and kneed Nolan in the stomach, I stabbed him through the stomach with my sword and yanked it out, I slashed down as an after image cutting the first layer of muscle and tendons in his head and torso, with eight slashes I cut out a bloody spider web in his pale chest, I shot forward slicing off his head; from the bloody stump showed out, I thrust my arms back and stabbed him in the back; I turned and pulled the sword up cutting his body in half, I sheathed my sword as I saw him regenerate back together. He spit out bloody mucus, and seethed with rage; “Why didn’t you kill them, but killed me hmm”? “Tell me damn it”! I dashed forward and clenched his throat, “Shut up”. With my off hand and I impaled his left side, grabbing three of his ribs I cracked them in my hand; he screamed in agony, “Let’s see how beautiful death is when you experience it for real”. “Stop”! I heard Kefira scream, “Papa… he’s had enough”! I looked at her and felt my heart constrict, “Focus on me you bastard”. Nolan croaked out as he punched my chest again breaking through the cartilage, he grabbed my heart; “You know we don’t have to be friends”. I let go of his throat, “You’re weak, you show mercy, and compassion… that makes me want to puke”. He let go of my artery connected to my heart, the blood flowed normally; I gasped for air, he looked at me with spiteful eyes before turning his back, he walked away leaving me on the ground to recover, I stood back up and Nolan stood ready for a quick draw; “I promised myself not kill you… you mean too much to me, but I swear to God get in my way again and I will end you”. I took my stance, placing my hand on the sword handle I took my drawing stance; he dashed forward and I pulled out my sword, we clashed blades sending sparks everywhere… the heated metal sang out a calming tune. I blocked his wild string of swings, I shot forward and cut Nolan down with a blow to his midsection; he fell on his knees before hitting the ground sliced in two; I saw his waist reconnect to his torso, we looked around us and saw that we were back in the empty field alone, Kefira and Viktor had run away in the thick of things; I sat down next to Nolan, he looked at me with a saddened look as he calmed down: “Was it really that easy to hold back… Ragnarok be honest with me”. “No, it never is”. “Then why didn’t you cut loose, you never held back for anyone else before”. “She’s my daughter how can I hurt her knowing that”? “I suppose the same can be said with Viktor, but you want to know something… everything we just been through was a lie”. “What… how, it felt so real”. “Deception is the ultimate skill, and we just fell for it hook, line and sinker”. We started walking the desolate whiteout, I looked at my feet and saw two trails both mostly disappeared; no this really is a trap, those two weren’t cut out to fight their opponents head on at least not without extensive preparation, everything I had just been through in the last fifteen minutes was a way to get me and Nolan out of energy. We heard a bow string being pulled back and the cock of an assault rifle in the cover of the blizzard, I collapsed on my knees from the earlier fight; “You got some fight left you”? Nolan asked me as he helped me to my feet, “How did you know that it was a trick”? “You ever see anyone die so easily”? “Point taken”. I aimed my shotguns and Nolan readied his assault rifle, we stood back to back; I heard the sound of a grenade pin drop in the snow, a cylindrical canister landed at our feet; we rolled out of the way and covered our eyes from a blinding flash of light, nine blasts went off from the epicenter of the explosion each accompanied by an intense flash; I heard a snap and the world around us went dark, an arrow whizzed past my head; I caught the shaft and saw a blinking light in the sharpened head, knocked to the ground with a concussive blast I was looking at the normal world upside down; I heard another arrow being notched being me through muffled ears, rolling out of the way I crawled behind a tree, coming to senses I tilted my head to the left to avoid being impaled through the neck with an arrowhead; I rolled behind a mound of snow as I saw a small timer countdown, shrapnel flew everywhere ripping the tree inside out, I heard another arrow being notched, I peeked out of cover and pulled the trigger tracing the glint of harpoon bolt; “Fucking hell”. I saw my titanium slug get ripped in half by the harpoon, the bolt grazed my right shoulder, sealing the wound on my shoulder I threw down a psychowheel and escaped deeper into the woods, I leaped head first off a hill, as I ran I caught glints of tripwire deep rooted into the canopies; I dived between the thin blades of carbon fiber wire, I let thin drips of blood coat the wires connected to the plastic explosives, my eyes caught a glint of sliver as I slammed right into a epicenter of the blast dome, I heard calm footsteps, I saw that Kefira was dressed in white and grey insulted recon armor as she came out of camouflage, she flexed her beautiful powder white wings; “Hey dad”. She notched an iron bolt, and aimed straight for my heart; “Don’t take it personally, Kefira… but you just lost”. “You’re the one trapped in a nest of— “No, you’re insane”. “It’s a shame we had to meet this, hugs and kisses you know all that fluff”. “And correction you’re the one trapped with me”. I sealed the cuts on my body, I held my arms out before putting the bottom of palm together; I saw the explosive wrecking ball of psycho energy I had made in my mad descent to the geographical center of the forest, “All that effort gone down the shitter, ain’t that a bitch”. I laughed out as I stepped out of the way, I collapsed the web I was trapped in with a snap of my fingers; I saw the a string of explosions as the wires all came rushing toward Kefira as a single ballista arrow, I stepped right in front of her caught the mass of molten carbon fiber; I set it on the ground to cool in the thick sheets of ice, smiling toward Kefira I tossed her the block charging it with a small bit of magic. “Now we’re even”. The block of wires collapsed into a smoke bomb, I shot forward as she coughed out dust; “The problem is you don’t know how to adapt”. I sent her flying into a tree with a heavy punch, I shot forward and ducked into a baseball slide to dodge a swing from her glaive; hopping to her feet she staked the ground with her glaive and went into glaive kick holding the weapon behind her, I pulled out my shotgun and stepped out of the way, I let her pass by me; I let the barrel of my gun brush against her head, she landed and swung her glaive knocking me off my feet, I blasted the ground with a grenade slug and send out a flurry of snow. On landing I dived into the cover to dodge three arrows, I looked as she rolled after the arrows I drew my sword placing the shotgun in my right hand back in its holster; I slashed down hearing the sound of the string being pulled back, I cut the bolts in half and shot out a slug of my own; Kefira sidestepped the round as she closed the gap between us with a slide, I pointed the barrel of my gun at her head and she pointed an arrow at my neck: “Do you yield”? She asked keeping a firm grip on the bolt; “I do”. I holstered my gun and she dropped her arrow, I helped her to her feet and dusted the snow off her wings; “You’ve certainly grown into fine woman”. She hugged me, “I’m always going to love you”. I tightened my arms around her, I felt the tears well in my eyes: in the distance we saw a smoke plume, “What the hell”? A loud boom echoed across the woods, Kefira ran forward, “Viktor is going to die we have to save him”. I chased after Kefira, we stopped at a large clearing decorated with drips of black and red blood; I found Nolan and Viktor clashing knifes, with a kick Nolan broke Viktor’s guard and sent him crashing to the ground, he breathed heavily as he pointed the serrated metal tip at his throat: I drew out my shotguns and Kefira notched an arrow, we aimed at Nolan seeing the murderous intent in his eyes. He took a deep breath and put away the knife, “Next time you will die”. I barely made out the words, I got the gist of it, he helped Viktor to his feet, and Nolan looked at us with frustration in his eyes: “When the time comes can you save those that matter the most to you”? I put away my guns and Kefira put away her arrow; “We’ll just have to see”.   
Thirty minutes earlier  
I traded fire with Viktor as we hopped between the dead trees, ripping them to wood chips we walked toward each other ripping chunks of flesh off each other; we toughed out the crossfire of lead and stood toe to toe, I drew out my knife and Viktor drew his. “We never settled our score, did we”? “In a sense you’re more my rival than my teacher”. “I can the same my pupil”. I took off my ballistic vest and threw it toward Viktor, he ducked under and let it drop into the snow behind him, flecking out blood from the bullet hole from his arm; I turned my head as his blood smeared across my cheek, I ducked under his swing and dashed forward, raising his arm he glanced my blade off his, I stepped back and caught his arm as he threw out a left jab, I bent his arm back, pulling him closer to me by yanking the collar on his sweater I kneed him in the chest he coughed out blood and I threw him into a tree smashing it into splinters; I held my knife and stepped to the right as Viktor charged out of the snow, I kicked his thigh and downed his leg: he tasted my boot with a kick to his face, he scrambled up; with his knife ready he stabbed forward, I stepped back taunting him just by being a hairs length of out his grasp, I caught his upward thrust aimed at my neck turning my head; I smashed my knee into his groin and stabbed into his stomach; I yanked out the blade, he bleated in pain as he raised his arms to block my next attack, I punched forward holding my knife back handed; he’s been training after all, I ducked under his fist to slice his left side, he twisted his arm and blocked my knife: I stepped back relaxing my grip on my knife, dodging his string of slashes keeping it arms reach I threw my knife hitting him the left shoulder, he pulled out the blade and tossed it to the ground pointing down, I dashed forward and caught the knife as it fell, I rolled out of the way and tilted my wrist as I spun the knife in my hand: I thrust forward and Viktor slashed down to stop the blade from cutting his muscles in his right leg, he stabbed down as I spun on my hands to get myself out of the previous slide, positioning my legs against his I wrapped one over the other on his ankles and tilted my waist for a takedown, I let go of the hold and scrambled to my feet; I saw Viktor hop back to his feet and charge forward in a blur, smashing me through six trees; I was flung out his hands smashing into a sheet of ice frozen between two trees, behind me was wide clearing… please snow… be soft, I heard heavy breathing as he lunged forward to break his wild sprint; I braced myself as he punched forward and tossed me out into the clearing, I landed on the padding of grass and snow, I barrel rolled out of the way, Viktor leapt through the air and slashed down with a sabre on where I landed barely missing cutting me half. We turned our feet as I drew my sword with my dominant hand as I shot up to my feet, I pulled the blade toward me for a guard; this is his specialization: gruella warfare, I blocked off his attacks as he kept a flurry of accurate strikes with his sabre and knife, catching his ending strike in a x pattern with my blades I broke his momentum, I directed his body positioning toward the open field, I spun forward and turned into a raging pinwheel of metal, I launched him the air with a high kick to his neck, I jumped after him, I slammed down my elbows on his back as I aligned my arms with his spine; I slashed into his body during free fall, I kicked his torso and sent him crashing into the snow, I spun in the air; I dropped down into a guillotine kick, blowing his body further into a crater. He moaned in pain, I put away my sword and stood ready with my knife as he staggered back up; even after a beating like that he moved fast, just a little out of my range of perception; I put myself on guard and instinctively blocked his swings, he was being desperate, he was out of gas and wanted to end it quickly. I held off the blur of fur and metal he became as he kicked his ferocity into overdrive, he stumbled on a pebble and gave me my chance, I raised my leg above me as he went into a tackle; I slammed down my leg on his neck and sent his chin crashing into the ground, he shot back up and I saw his movement slow to a crawl. I dodged his slashes sliding my boots into on the snow, I kicked up a spray of white and blinded him; I slashed back of his wrists through the white dust as he raised his arms for cover, he broke his guard and dashed forward, before I react he cut the main veins in my arms and legs with four lightning fast slashes; I sealed the wounds and I matched his knifework with mine, our blades sang out an insane tune formed by two madmen struggling to survive; I pulled back my knife and ducked under his thrust, bending my knees, I pointed my arm downward and cut his chest with an ascending slash, spinning on my hands I kicked him to stand upright; I landed on my feet as I tilted my body downward, I dashed forward cutting away; Viktor struggled to hold off my rage as I kept up my attack against his desperate counters, once our blades were at a safe distance from each other I pulled back my knife to a fake a slash and kicked him to ground, I pinned him to the ground; his head crunched against the snow, as I held him down with a knife at his throat.  
I smiled at their answer, “You never fail to amaze me Ragnarok”. “Tell me who matters the most to you”? The question cut my heart deeper than any blade or bullet, our friendship or the relations I have with so many others: it’s like you’re in a room with a person you can connect to in so my levels, like staring into a mirror image but except you have a loaded gun pointed at each-others heads and you’re itching to pull the trigger but you can’t because their secrets are looking right in the eye… you every aspect of the person, you humanize with them… that’s why it’s so damn hard to pull that trigger. “I lost that person years ago… now I’ve got a second chance to keep her safe: I know now that I can save her when it comes down the wire, I can protect Astoria”.   
“Some days I wish I could settle all my problems with my gun”. Louis smiled at me, “If the world worked that way, we’d shoot everything”. I spun my cylinder, “You’re right, I would”. “Guess it’s my turn now”. I looked at the pyre in front of me, I looked to my left and saw Galahad looking at his pyre: “It’s always the shit closest to home, that hits you hardest”. Thane and Louis watched over the ritual, “Now we pay back the favor”. I faced Galahad before we walked into the blaze lit on the asphalt, our bodies were consumed by the fires of our grief; I stood in a white void face to face with Galahad… behind us were the skeletons we tried to put rest, everything that we buried under false pretenses and countless excuses, is now facing us ready to return the favor. I sat down with Galahad amongst the shallow graves: “At the heart of things we are both men of war, originally I thought my life was to be a weapon trained, I’m just an empty shell with a touch of death”. He looked at me with sympathy, “What are we anyways… battle is how we defined our lives, how we defined our existence as living souls; if we are only just suits of armor trained to look at the world through the barrel of a gun what different are we from the beasts we try to kill”? “In fact how do we define reality”? “We’ll have to answer these questions on our own”. We stood up and walked away from the center of the void, into a fog of mystery and doubt— for a while all was black and nothing seemed right, the world we were thrust into without our consent, the way everything we love was taken from us, the way we could never have a chance to live a normal life; that was all taken from us when signed up for this path, all the battles that drive our hearts deeper into hatred their the things that shape us into the monsters, the men we are today, I looked around and saw the color start to come in, reds and browns; I smelled iron in the air and sadness was bleeding out of the corpses filling up the roads, even though we were two different people we ended up back on the same battlefield that sparked the change to shape us into kinder assholes than who we were; the long and short of it is, we learned to have compassion so for now we’ll spare you the details of the traumatizing incidents that made us question reality and et cetera, to begin: before meeting Ashton or the rest of our merry band of misfits; in my case I was one of few humans who can see and interact with the fae world, from what I’ve seen: they were barbarous creatures’ hell bent on ravaging the world, like all other extremists I was bred with hate and a sense of fear; for some reason or another this is how all things begin, you as an ignorant life amongst countless others band together and walk into a new world, full of unknowns and limitless potential, only when we’re over our heads do we begin understand exactly what we are becoming and by that time: it’s far too late to change old habits, but we can sure as hell try to fix what we fucked up in the first place. Death can mean many things, an end or in my case a beginning, to get the point it’s time for renewal, but the thing I find ironic is that is you have to die a thousand times to truly experience life, to all the fuck ups out there, it’s okay if you fall flat on your ass and into the mud; but you know what get on your feet and keep on running, the reason people like me never die: because there is so much more to live for, than any number of doubts to make you quit. You will get pushed on the ground and kicked in the nuts, when you least expect it to happen, but get back up and keep punching away; when there is an obstacle in your path blow it down and to kingdom come, you’re not guaranteed a win just because you show up for a fight, you’ve got to fight with all your heart and soul then maybe you’ll pull through without feeling shit, the way we soldiers define life is with the art of war, it’s our business and a shitty one at that, but we keep fighting and pushing on to whatever hopes, dreams we carry with us onto that blood soaked field, we crave instability or to be more accurate the skill to handle instability and maintain control when we’re under pressure… it’s a double edged sword, the desire for control: it’s only natural to want power, but you have to make sure that strength doesn’t end up consuming you, that it doesn’t make you hateful or bitter of those you work with, those you trust with your life… and damn it, whatever you do never give up that future you’re fighting for. The problem with me and many other people is that we forget everything we’re fighting for, the reason why we get up in the morning to crack open skulls; the why is just as important as the how, sometimes even more so… like I said before death can mean so many things: to bring life to a close, or set a trigger that starts everything again: I’m happy for the life I have, I’m lucky to have met these people and even on their worst days, I don’t give two shit’s if that’s how they are; the first friends I could trust completely, the first people I could love sincerely, it may sound silly but this is all I have left, from life’s previous end to this new life I was thrust into, these people and the memories I made are the only things I have with me now, the fact this true doesn’t bother me one bit. Finally I feel like I can be happy with who I am, I can let go of the fears holding me back; despite the world being such a mean and nasty place, I understand why people are stubborn enough to keep on going and that takes so much more than yourself to drag on through hell, through all the storms and disasters that hit us so hard. It’s up to you to accept what I’m saying as genuine or not, but when I say screw it; I mean it from the bottom of my heart, screw the shit that says we can’t do anything worthwhile. I finally see what that possibility is, the one that bastard always brags about; the question: what if? That’s all that needed to find a way to get the pipe dreams we chase after, now I understand what it means to be alive.   
It’s surprising how similar we are, like looking into the damned mirror; I doubt so many things, I still do, but now I can take step forward; I’m in good company, we’re broken and bent out of shape in so many ways, yet we still have the balls to function as if none of the pain of yesterday even happened: I became the very thing, I try to avoid: a fool, but you want to know something; that optimism accompanied by all its blessings and curses is truly a wonderful thing, Ashton taught me how to smile at life even when being beaten into a pulp; I think I can speak for all of us, when I say we can shed the things that chain down our hearts and souls keeping them in despair, we can finally let go of that burden… to finally be happy again, it’s a wonderful thing I’ve found, not the keys to obtain salvation, not a ticket to back out of life without consequence, yet I found the will to live again, in a grander scheme of things people are sparks, a small yet powerful piece of the puzzle, the world is our tinder; with some luck and a lot of patience we group together to set everything ablaze to keep away the cold, the night, all the creatures that dare upset the balance in the world. As a solider I thought it meant I was a living weapon, but in actuality we are protectors of the home and family we’ve made along our travels. Meeting these people helped me understand that, that is what I am thankful for: I finally have a home, to keep safe and grow… the fact my son tried to tell me, now I understand it; Nikolai though you’re not flesh or blood, I was blessed to have met you: the first person, I wanted to save and keep safe, you died twice by my hands and I’m truly sorry, I beg for forgiveness and mercy, may we meet in the next life my rival , my friend, my son: everything we want to work for takes a certain amount of faith to keep the dream alive and progress toward the goal. The reality we define, starts today; with renewed hearts and minds, this day we make a vow to change who we are, to change the world around us: we dare to achieve the impossible, because that is how we obtain our happiness.   
We stood face to face, the beasts we fight, the enemies we stand against; we no longer see them as just monsters to exterminate, but as ready foes to defeat and acknowledge their worth our as equals, from now on; we no longer let hate drive our wills to fight, we strive for victory and nothing else. “This is the reality we define for ourselves; the dreams and ideals we will uphold, the oath we make to ourselves and to our companions in arms; we are their protectors and they are ours: in health or illness, may we stand together as one body and mind; as one will may we strive to guard the world around us, until death do us apart”.  
I smiled into space, after getting a warm feeling my stomach: “You okay Ashton”? I looked at Damon as we walked down the flight of stairs, “Yeah I am”. Those meatheads finally understand it now, maybe there’s hope for us yet. I walked down the steps and thought my family, “you should really do a better job of trying to assassinate your targets”. “What do you mean by that”? “Your second team, where are they”? “The cliffs near the outskirt of the city”. “Call them off, the people waiting for us at the apartments are not as friendly as me or any of the others your team may have met in the field”. “Delta-2: come in”. “This squad leader Damon, do you copy”? I heard static through Damon’s communicator: I got to the base of the street and looked toward the direction of my home, I saw rising plume of smoke from the trail leading out to the city borders: “You’re girls are going to be in for one hell of a firefight”. “Wait how did you know about them”? “Judging from the way you act, I could tell you were practically a big sister to the people under your command you love them like a family even though you don’t show it, the strike force you’re apart of is a distraction; you want your people in and out before anyone could react, another thing is I know they trust you with their lives all of the people my friends had to fight; the reality is those girls will fail and die unless we reach them in time, the hardened bastards keeping their home safe are my brothers and they will do anything to keep it that way, to make sure that I have a place to return to along with the rest of my friends, and god damn it I will do the very same for all our sakes”. “Those men at your home, they know how to kill a person for good”? “I could ask you the same”. We looked at each other silence, “I think both of us know the answer, if push came to shove— I felt a hand pierce my stomach: Damon dug his claw inside my guts: clenching my intestines, “You know, I thought we could be friends… first I thought maybe I could get along with you and your band of misfits, that wasn’t so far from what I’ve found out about you or your friends; Ashton, those girls mean the world to me and you’re right I will protect them at cost to myself: I’m sorry I have to leave you like this, but have the heart to forgive me… I need to go save them”. He let go of his hold and pulled out his metal claw, I fell on my back and closed the wound in my stomach; I looked up to the sky and took a deep breath: deep down I knew something, neither of us would go down without raising hell for our enemies, no matter who they are. I stood back up, and followed the sound of footsteps in the empty city; the truth is the city is never empty, we were just blinded to the fact that people besides for us, live here and that’s why I can’t let this opportunity go to waste, I need Delta to hold off the second wave that hides beneath the coming storm… the war that will change everything; it’ll be a walk through hell, nice and toasty just the way I like it. I blended in with the crowd of humans and walked home through the busy streets; time to work for a living.   
“Logs 13 of 13, audio and visual recordings complete”. I took a sigh wiping a tear from my eye: the last memories I have of them… no the last trace I’ve found of them. I watched the footage leading up to our reunion: I stepped on the parking lot of my home; I looked at the burnt out pyres near the front door of the main buildings, in what seems like forever I saw my friends: I looked around and surprisingly enough it wasn’t a warzone at least not yet; I saw Damon run into the lot heaving for breath, we looked at the two figures who sat near the doorsteps, I saw Lex and Galahad on the ground half asleep from waiting for us; “Hey you guys wait long”? I was greeted by two embraces by my teammates, “I’d never thought you guys would be the type of people to miss their loved ones”. I heard the little snippet of my voice as I stopped the vid docs and looked at the empty house where it all started. I looked at my old home with yearning, “Just for a day I want to go back and live in those happier days”. “You’re a fool for thinking that”; I heard Ragnarok behind me, “Grow some balls and move on would you, you’re not a kid anymore Ashton”. I wiped off the settled ash on a stone garden bench and took a seat; Ragnarok sat down next to me, “So this is where it all began huh”? I dusted my hands and watched the soot come right off; “Yeah, I never thought I’d sign up for the ride of a lifetime; the last six months truly were best times in my life”. I grinned at the thought, ““Neither did I, nor did the rest of us have any idea that this would happen… if left on our own, could we have been brought together like this”? “Honestly I don’t want to consider that possibility… I received so much more, than what I put in the fire; when I think about it, we all had some close calls, at one point or another we all stood that narrow brink just barely missing death, all the while bonding together as a family… for that I’m thankful”. “You never would have guessed that any of this will happen in foresight”; Ragnarok sat back and let out a deep exhale, “Remember the questions I asked you at the beginning of our little adventure”. “Ashton what kind of future do you want”? “I want to make a place for people like us to belong, to feel accepted by one another, if not the rest of society”. “What kind of warrior are you”? “The kind who’s not afraid to hit someone else under the belt”. “Now let’s begin shall we”. “Firstly, why did you choose this life”? “I want to protect those closest to me, I don’t want to let those I love die again”. “I see”. “How has our journey changed you as a person”? “Honestly, I feel more alive than I ever did in my life; I feel like I can actually say I’m fulfilled inside”. Ragnarok nodded his head: “Lastly what matters the most to you”? “I want to make a life where people can be happy”. Ragnarok smiled looking into the grey horizon: “You pass”. “How funny the threat we perceived was never there to begin with”. “Ever wonder what happened to those nasty people we so wanted to purge from the streets”? “You killed them all, dear Ashton”. I smelled carrion around me, I rubbed my eyes and saw the decaying bodies of those I deemed guilty lying around me; Ragnarok and I stood together in a unnamed street running with rivers of blood and gore, “It can’t be… how did this happen”? “Wake up and smell the coffee, isn’t it delicious”. Ragnarok laughed like a madman: “Join the party, before we all die, for all our sakes. Take my hand and let’s twist destiny into something beautiful, something worth saving”. “Or should I say in your case: let’s burn destiny away, so what you waiting for hero… let’s kill the world”. I saw myself in the street consumed by bloodlust, slaying both friend and foe alike, the last thing I saw was a blood red sky, I looked at myself fade into dust as I fell on my knees in despair and the world around me faded to black: a hand touched my shoulder in darkness; slowly the void lightened up into varying shades of grey, “Everything you fear will come to bear if you don’t take a stand for the things you love”. I looked up and saw Ragnarok, “This is the best case scenario, even after we clean all the shit off the fan”. “You are your own monster, there is no greater enemy than yourself”. Ragnarok helped me to my feet, “The coming battle will be a test of will, greater than anything you can handle alone”. “That desire to make a world where people can live in peace, strive toward it; but never forget you’re not alone. Stretch your hands toward the future, grab that beautiful horizon and run toward your dreams”. “That vision is one of two possibilities that will happen”. “What’s the other”? I asked Ragnarok getting my nerve back, we were in an empty plain with winter sunshine piercing the grey clouds and snowfall, Ragnarok showed me a field full of flowers, there were scattered prayers, all answered”. I saw myself and my team standing side by side all dressed in black, in the center of our circle I saw a coffin etched with a nautilus on the front cover, on the sides I saw seashells and settling waves; I rubbed my eyes and felt the tears in my eyes, in Galahad’s arms was a body he approached the grave and lowered the lifeless form into the velvet coffin. “No, I won’t accept this”. “Purpose in your heart and strive toward a beautiful future, one where you can make a life worth living”; I held my fist to my heart, “Casualties are bound to happen, you can’t save everyone”. “I can sure as hell try”. I formed my own future in front of me, I saw everyone standing together on the roof of skyscraper looking down on the city; it was clear day outside, the sun was bright and death was no longer looming our heads, our hearts were filled with joy and pride from our victory. “Then you’ll have to make it happen”. I placed my fist on Ragnarok’s chest, and he did the same for me; “You’ve come a long way and I’m happy for that, when the time comes we’ll have to see what you’re made of”. “Mark my words, no one will die on the day of the battle”. Ragnarok dropped his arm, “Carve your path through life, as you always did brother; now let us walk toward the truth we will make for ourselves”. Back in reality I sat on the bench a little longer and was deep in thought, before I knew it I was back home to spend the remaining six days of rest with friends both new and old; Delta team, their presence came as a prayer in my heart answered, just the firepower we need to win over any unforeseen contingencies, to my good fortune the girls (mainly) and guys, bonded well with my family; thank god for all the extra rooms I had lying around, our teams made a pact for a joint operation; our small scale war, hidden to those who cannot see the secrets in front of them; regardless the human world will be put at risk, and I want to protect both worlds from dying; the more I think back to it, I found a home in the human side of things were I first learned the inklings to feel and live with my first family, now I’m going to do the same for this family of mine.   
The path always starts with: what if? We are to question the world around us and grow from the knowledge, the wisdom we gain from our journeys through life, all of us stepped into a larger world on that day, not knowing what the future holds but walking steadfast in spite of everything set in our way. Today we cast aside fear and doubt, to walk into the unknown with brave hearts full of desire to make a home for ourselves, this new world we are about to step into is our home now… now set the foundation for the future, to end we strive for, let us protect everything we love to our last breaths.


End file.
